International and Foreign
2,988 Articles
José Alvarez: Ukraine’s Request for UN Peacekeepers Does Not Require Security Council (Russian) Approval
On Monday, Ukraine requested the United Nations to send peacekeeping troops to 10 cities to help respond to pro-Russian groups in those parts of the country. If you believe major…
UK Surveillance Watchdog Releases Report Endorsing UK Surveillance Programs
As we covered in yesterday’s Early Edition, Sir Anthony May, the UK’s Interception of Communications Commissioner (the UK’s surveillance watchdog), has concluded…
Palestine, the Vatican and Accession to International Treaties: Some Ancillary Thoughts
The application to accede to multiple international treaties and international organizations made by President Mahmoud Abbas on April 1st (see full list) has proceeded with…
The Earth Moved – Senate Advice and Consent Granted to Fisheries Treaties
Readers may be interested to note that last week the Senate Committee Foreign Relations Committee provided its advice and consent to a small number of international treaties. The…
Newsflash – Swiss Depository accepts accession by Palestine to the Geneva Conventions
Readers will be interested to hear that the Swiss Depository has accepted the instrument of accession of Palestine to the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol I. As readers…
Hersh’s Syria Conspiracy Theory: The CIA and Intelligence Oversight Questions
In a previous post, I discussed the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the attack against U.S. facilities and personnel in Benghazi, Libya. That post contemplated bias by…
European Court says Data Retention Directive is Invalid
Yesterday, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) gave a compelling judgment in two joined cases: Case C-293/12 Digital Rights Ireland; Case C-594/12…
Letter to the Editor from former Deputy Legal Adviser to Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations
[Editor’s Note: Be sure to see Fionnuala Ní Aoláin’s response to this letter to the editor, which was published on April 11, 2014] In her recent post, Fionnuala Ní…
UK Defence Select Committee: Extensive legal scrutiny undermining willingness of commanders to take necessary risks
The UK’s House of Commons Defence Select Committee published a report on Wednesday [full text] concerning the legal framework for future operations of the armed forces. The…
States, Almost States, Non-State Actors and the Geneva Conventions: Palestinian President Abbas’s attempt to join the Club
[Editor’s Note: Be sure to see the letter to the editor from a former Deputy Legal Adviser to Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations responding to this…
Law of War Conventions that Palestinian President Abbas Intends to Join: Questions Raised
The Palestinian authorities have released the complete list of treaties that they intend to join. According to the statement, President Abbas “signed letters of accession”…
John Bellinger’s Testimony before the PCLOB (and implications for Senate approval of the Persons with Disabilities Convention) [Updated on April 2]
My friend and former legal adviser to the State Department John Bellinger recently testified before the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board (PCLOB) on the question whether international…