Australia’s High Court says “no” to Spousal Privilege

The Australian High Court

OK, so this is written like a research project, but, hey, I’m the FCIL Librarian. Comparative law raises many issues, and this comment is not meant to be a complete exploration of all the possible issues raised in comparing Australian and US laws, but given the common law heritage of the United States and Australia, … Read more

Subjecting Video Games to IHL: Big Waste of Time or Biggest Waste of Time Ever?

Isn't this a UNESCO World Heratige Site?

Despite the fact that I am a law student with an Evidence final tomorrow, I had to take a minute and write about a development that would be hilarious if it were not so damaging.  At the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, members of the ICRC discussed whether … Read more

European integration – the European Union’s accession to the ECHR

EU Flag

In this third and final article about legal integration in Europe the subject is the EU’s forthcoming accession to the ECHR. Those not already familiar with the organizations in question – the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe and the European Union – are advised to read the two previous articles (here … Read more

What Really Matters in an ICC Prosecutor

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the midst of a process to select a successor to its first prosecutor, Luis Moreno O’Campo.  The governing body of the ICC, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), is seeking to elect a candidate by consensus vote. The list of candidates has apparently been paired down to two candidates: … Read more

A few words from DU Law’s International Law Librarian, Joan Policastri

DU Int'l Law Portfolio

I plan to provide blogs on the library’s foreign and international law resources, and keep readers up to date on the latest books in the relevant fields. And, since my personal area of interest is the world of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and issues, I plan to post on several ongoing situations involving international law and … Read more

The False Equivalency of Balanced Prosecutions

The Nuremberg Tribunal

One of the biggest criticisms of the WWII Nuremberg Tribunal was that it was victors justice: the statute only authorized prosecution of crimes committed by the Axis. In addition, both the prosecutors and judges were comprised of nationals from the victorious powers: American, British, French and Soviet. In subsequent tribunals, international justice has sought to … Read more

Sen. Gary Hart Wants a New “Grand Strategy” for the U.S.

Senator Gary Hart

On Saturday, November 5th former United States Senator Gary Hart spoke at the 44th Annual Sutton Colloquium in International Law.  Hart’s talk, entitled “Strategy, Collective Security, and the Global Commons” focused on the need for a new “grand strategy” in tackling U.S. foreign security threats and global economic concerns. Hart began by painting the scene … Read more

The Pink Elephant in the Room

The pink elephant in the room

What makes a Palestinian intifada different from other Arab revolutions?  David Aronofsky, University of Montana General Counsel and adjunct faculty member in the Schools of Law and Education, asked this very provocative question during this year’s Sutton Colloquium. The Colloquium, which hosted a diverse group of panelists from around the country, came to a rather … Read more

Long-Term International and US Foreign Policy Implications of the Arab Spring

Barack Obama & the Arab Spring

Panalists Dr. Paul Williams, a Professor at American University, Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham of the United States Air Force, and Dr. Robert Hazan, a Professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver discussed the international and U.S. policy implications of the Arab Spring in a late afternoon panel of the Sutton Colloquium.  Dr. Williams started off … Read more

Kudos to Amnesty Int’l for Holding Non-State Actors to Task

The Taliban

I was pleased to see an article in which Amnesty International calls for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I have long felt that non-state actor groups that wage military style campaigns that intentionally target civilians get more lenient treatment in international criminal law circles.   For example, many … Read more