Critical Analysis: Trans Pacific Partnership Negotiations Resume

The next round of negotiations on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be held in Singapore this month. This will be the 16th round of negotiations, and they will be held from March 4 to March 13, just seven months ahead of the self-imposed deadline for a deal. The Office of the United States Trade … Read more

The State of the Private Ends Debate

Sea Shepherd

It has been both interesting and informative to watch the debate over the meaning of piracy’s “private ends” requirement unfold between Kevin Jon Heller and Eugene Kontorovich at Opinio Juris and The Volokh Conspiracy, respectively. Over a series of successive posts (here, here, here, here, and here), they began to home in on the real … Read more

Human Security and Human Rights Panel Discussion

Promoting Human Security by advancing Human Rights

On March 2, 2013, the American Branch of the International Law Association held its Western Regional Conference on International Law and Human Security in the 21st Century.  The conference was held at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in Denver, Colorado.  The third panel of the day was on Human Security and Human Rights.  … Read more

David Cameron Wants Out of the EU: What are the Risks and Rewards?

The Treaty of Maastricht established the European Union (“the EU”) under its current name in 1993.[1]  The Treaty included a Social Chapter that laid “down EU policies on workers’ rights and other social issues.”[2]  The Treaty also established an economic and monetary union, which required the Member States to (1) coordinate their economic policies, (2) … Read more

Critical Analysis: Syrian Civil War Threatens to Engulf Neighboring Lebanon

As the Syrian Civil War rages unabated, the conflict has taken on a distinctly sectarian angle.  Bashar Al-Assad’s forces are now composed mainly from the President’s own Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’a Islam, which sees the fortunes of their minority community as intertwined with those of the regime.  After 2 years of brutal urban … Read more

Critical Analysis: The Threat of International Internet Regulation

At a United Nations conference last December, eighty-nine countries voted to create a revised telecommunications treaty that would implement a system of international government regulation over the internet.  The treaty will increase the authority of the International Telecommunication Union—a United Nations agency—in the regulation of the internet on a global scale.  Despite the tremendous response … Read more

Raul Resigns: Cuban President Announces Final Term after 50+ Years of Castro-Brother Rule

Sunday evening, Cuban president Raul Castro announced that he would step down as the country’s president and communist leader after one final five-year term. In his address Sunday, President Castro explained that his resignation marked the beginning of the gradual and orderly transfer of key Cuban leadership roles to a new generation. The frail 86-year-old … Read more

Critical Analysis: Division in Iranian Leadership

Some argue that the West is continually trying to find ways to contain Iran and their believed attempt to acquire nuclear weapons. Recent infighting shows that the country’s leadership may be splintering leading to a fissure in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Do these public confrontations present an opportunity for the West to find workable … Read more

Critical Analysis: Is the Legitimacy of the Bangladesh Tribunal at Stake?

The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh is an ongoing court mandated to investigate and prosecute individuals who committed atrocities during Bangladesh’s war of independence with Pakistan in 1971. On February 5, 2013, the Tribunal sentenced Jamatt-e-Islami chief Abdul Kader Mullah to life for his alleged role in crimes committed during the 1971 independence war. Mullah … Read more

Critical Analysis: Horse Meat? No Thank You!

Europe is currently in an uproar over issues in the meat industry.  Most recently, large quantities of horse meat were found in products that are supposed to be 100% beef, sold in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and France, among others.  Although there are no health issues directly related to the use of horse meat, and … Read more