Law and Strategy after Afghanistan: The United States, Israel and Iran
Abstract: Following US withdrawal from Afghanistan, America’s security focus will turn more expressly to Iran. The core problem with America’s Afghanistan withdrawal was not one of timing or tactics, but of original misconception. In essence, the “Afghanistan Problem” stemmed from an initially underestimated and misunderstood military operation. Looking ahead, Afghanistan’s incoherent conclusion means, inter alia, [...]
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world….” -William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming Plus, ca’ change. “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” In world politics, anarchy is an old and continuing story. Chaos is not. But what are the precise differences? And why do [...]
Israel versus Hamas: Proportionality, Perfidy and the Law of War
“It must not be forgotten that it is perhaps more dangerous for a nation to allow itself to be conquered intellectually than by arms.” -Guillaume Apollinaire, The New Spirit and the Poets (1917) Whenever Israel finds itself in the midst of major conflict with Hamas, each side seeks to defend itself in military and legal [...]
Rwanda court rules it has jurisdiction to try 'Hotel Rwanda' hero Paul Rusesabagina
Rwanda’s High Court Chamber for International and Cross-border Crimes on Friday ruled that it has jurisdiction to try Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” on the charges of terrorism financing, armed robbery, abduction, arson, attempted murder, assault, and battery. During the 1994 genocide, Rusesabagina used his connections and position as hotel manager [...]
Paul Rusesabagina of 'Hotel Rwanda' fame goes on trial in Kigali
The trial of Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” began Wednesday in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Rusesabagina saved hundreds of lives by providing shelter to people at the hotel where he worked as a manager. These actions inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” and Rusesabagina was awarded [...]
In an initial appearance before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) Wednesday, a Rwandan businessman suspected of financing Rwanda’s 1994 genocide entered a plea of “not guilty” to numerous genocide-related charges. The 87-year-old Félicien Kabuga remained silent throughout the tribunal proceedings. At the request of Kabuga’s lawyer, Judge Iain Bonomy registered a plea [...]
New Zealand makes first conviction for both human trafficking and slavery after landmark trial
Samoan chief Joseph Matamata has become the first person to be convicted on charges of both human trafficking and slavery in New Zealand. Matamata faced ten counts of trafficking and 13 counts of slavery in a five-week trial before the High Court in Napier. The charges stem from activities between 1994-2019 when Matamata systematically enslaved [...]
Sleight of Hand in Florida's New Death Penalty: Requiring, But Not Requiring, Jury Unanimity
Sleight of Hand in Florida's New Death Penalty: Requiring, But Not Requiring, Jury Unanimity JURIST Guest Columnist Chance Meyer of Shepard Broad College of Law,NOVA Southeastern University, discusses the Florida Supreme Court's recent death penalty decision in Hurst and its...
A Sino-American Cyber Security Agreement: Crisis Composed of Danger and Opportunity?
JURIST Guest Columnist Kevin Govern of Ave Maria School of Law discusses the latest cyber security agreement between China and the US... It is a longstanding fiction that the Chinese word for "crisis" is composed of elements that signify "danger"...
Federal appeals court upholds city prohibition on park Nativity scene
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday upheld a Santa Monica, California, city ordinance prohibiting unattended exhibits in Palisades Park, deciding against the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee [advocacy...
