International and Foreign
3,187 Articles
ISIS Fighting Against Taliban: The Enemy of My Enemy Is …?
In a surprising twist, reports are emerging this week that the Islamic State (IS) is making inroads into Afghanistan, and has engaged in fighting against the Taliban there. Afghan…
Is it Really Better to be Dead than Blind?
Late last year, the U.S. Navy announced that its $40 million laser weapon is finally ready for combat aboard the special operations staging ship USS Ponce. The laser, which “zaps…
Palestine’s Two Cards: A Commitment to Legality and an Invitation to Stop Crimes
Two steps recently taken by Palestine could be a game changer for a seemingly intractable problem. I will argue that these decisions should not be construed as an assault on Israel.…
Avoiding a “Militant Democratic” Response to the Paris Attacks
The dreadful Paris attack, even more than the recent and similar attacks in Australia and Canada, is likely to produce a demand for strong action. This is not only because the…
The Paris Attack and Terrorism’s Next Frontier
The Sydney and Paris attacks are manifestations of the long-predicted lone wolf threat posed by militant Islamism. Unfortunately, there will be more of these kind of attacks to…
Letter to the Editor from former Legal Adviser to Palestine’s Mission to the United Nations
Below, reader Yousef N. Zeidan replies to Robert Howse’s Palestine and the ICC: Law and Rhetoric, and to an exchange of letters between reader Jonathan Somer and Howse.…
Howse Reply to Letter to the Editor
Below, Robert Howse replies to a letter to the editor from reader Jonathan Somer, referencing Howse’s post, Palestine and the ICC: Law and Rhetoric. In his letter to the…
Letter to the Editor: Howse on Palestine and the ICC
The letter below replies to “Palestine and the ICC: Law and Rhetoric” by Robert Howse, published January 7. In discussing who decides whether Palestine is a ‘State’…
The U.S. Should Not Disengage From the International Criminal Court Following Palestine’s Ascension
There is some risk that Palestine’s ascension to the International Criminal Court will result in political backlash in Washington regarding the United States’ policy of constructive…
Why U.S. being a party to armed conflict in Afghanistan may not end soon
Even if the administration declares the end of combat operations with the Taliban/al Qaeda in Afghanistan, will the United States nevertheless remain a party to the Afghan government’s…
ICC Fugitive In US Custody?
[An update to this post is available here, confirming Ongwen’s transfer to The Hague to stand trial]. Media and the US State Department spokeswoman are reporting that a man…
The State of Humanitarian Law in Cyber Conflict
During the recent Sony incident, politicians and pundits debated whether the cyber operations allegedly launched by North Korea were an “act of war.” Presumably, they were…