International and Foreign
3,187 Articles
Obama Administration’s Position on the UN Torture Convention: New? Yes. Significant? Not so much
Could it be that American international law experts and human rights advocates are suffering from some form of Stockholm Syndrome — so many defeats and dashed hopes at the…
America’s “Unequivocal Yes” to the Torture Ban
Last week in Geneva, the U.S. delegation appeared before the Committee Against Torture and announced important changes to the U.S. government’s legal position regarding the…
What the Cold War Can Teach Us About Containing ISIL
Editors’ Note: The following post is the latest installment of “Monday Reflections,” in which a different Just Security editor takes an in-depth look at the big stories…
The United States and the Torture Convention, Part I: Extraterritoriality
[Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the change in the U.S. government’s position on the application of the Convention Against Torture beyond U.S.…
U.S. Changes Position on Torture Convention–Accepts Ban on Cruelty Applies Abroad
At a session before the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva this morning, the Obama administration made a significant shift away from the Bush-era interpretation of the Convention…
New Paths to Accountability for Crimes in Syria and Iraq (Including ICC Jurisdiction Over Foreign Fighters)
Horrific crimes in Syria during the Syrian Civil War and more recent ones in Iraq have led to widespread frustration at the present lack of a clear accountability mechanism. …
Avoiding Unnecessary Wars and Preserving Accountability: Principles for an ISIL-Specific AUMF
Earlier today, a group of legal experts–including Rosa Brooks, Sarah Cleveland, Jen Daskal, Walter Dellinger, Harold Koh, and Marty Lederman–released a set of “Principles…
Harold Koh’s New “Memo to the President” on the Torture Convention
President Obama must soon decide whether to instruct a US delegation, which will appear before a UN body in Geneva next week, whether to equivocate, reject, or accept that the…
Breaking News: ICC Prosecutors Decline to Investigate “Freedom Flotilla” Incident
It is being reported (by Reuters, the Jerusalem Post, and others) that the International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor has closed its preliminary examination into…
South Africa Constitutional Court On Universal Jurisdiction: Validating the Obvious
We’ve blogged earlier about the administrative review case proceeding in South Africa that is addressed to the question of whether the South African Police Service (SAPS) and…
Want to Hurt ISIL’s Finances? Go After the People Doing Business With It
In recent months, Western and certain Middle Eastern governments have devoted themselves to attacking the finances of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as part of…
Should international human rights law regulate the use of drones, detention, and surveillance extraterritorially?
Below, see the full video of the October 28 panel with Just Security founding editors Shaheed Fatima and Harold Koh, and co-editor-in-chief Ryan Goodman. The event, entitled…