Archivo de Etiquetas: Article

Can the ICC Prosecute for Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria? Recent reports regarding the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria are very disturbing indeed. If it turns out that there is concrete evidence that chemical weapons have been used, many will hope this will (finally) provoke action by the …

Democratic Statehood in International Law In the book Democratic Statehood in International Law, I develop an argument that state creation is a political process of overcoming a competing claim to territorial integrity. The emergence of a new state is not an automatic or factual occurrence upon meeting the statehood criteria. …

UK Supreme Court Decides Smith (No. 2) v. The Ministry of Defence Last week the UK Supreme Court delivered its judgment in Smith (No. 2) v. The Ministy of Defence (judgment; BBC News report). This is a follow-up to the Smith (No. 1) case decided three years ago, with a …

Iran’s (Non-)Compliance with its Non-Proliferation Obligations Revisited A recent statement issued by the EU entitled ‘Common messages regarding EU sanctions against the Iranian nuclear programme’, posted on the websites of various EU embassies in Tehran (and translated into Farsi), attempts to sum up the reasons which have allegedly justified not …

A Shared Responsibility Trap: Supplying Weapons to the Syrian Opposition Syrian Opposition Flag (Wikipedia) Cross-posted at the SHARES Blog In the last few weeks, a shared responsibility trap has arisen in relation to the conflict in Syria. On 4 June 2013, the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry …

A Shared Responsibility Trap: Supplying Weapons to the Syrian Opposition Syrian Opposition Flag (Wikipedia) Cross-posted at the SHARES Blog In the last few weeks, a shared responsibility trap has arisen in relation to the conflict in Syria. On 4 June 2013, the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry …

Human Rights: Member State, EU and ECHR Levels of Protection Article 53 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union caused, already at its inception, a hermeneutical conundrum: Nothing in the Charter shall be interpreted as restricting or adversely affecting human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized, in …

General Assembly Adopts Texts on Items Ranging from Self-Determination to Peace in South Atlantic; Supports Extension of Impunity Commission in Guatemala The General Assembly, working through its busy agenda, today adopted five resolutions and one decision on a wide range of items, including on the self-determination of French Polynesia and …

General Assembly Adopts Texts on Items Ranging from Self-Determination to Peace in South Atlantic; Supports Extension of Impunity Commission in Guatemala The General Assembly, working through its busy agenda, today adopted five resolutions and one decision on a wide range of items, including on the self-determination of French Polynesia and …

Court between A Rock and a Hard Place: Comoros Refers Israel’s Raid on Gaza Flotilla to the ICC Comoros has referred the action of Israeli troops in boarding the flotilla headed to Gaza on 31 May 2010 to the International Criminal Court. The ICC Prosecutor has announced that she is …

Does Use of Chemical Weapons Justify Intervention in Syria? Over the last few days, various media outlets have reported that the US, UK and other countries believe that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict (see BBC report). Apparently, there is not yet conclusive evidence of this …

Are the two Koreas Now at War? In recent days the tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen. On 11 March, North Korea claimed  that it had terminated the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War of the 1950s and on 30 March stated that: “From this time on, the …