The recent events in Houla have, yet again, put Syria front and centre of news reports. Over recent months we have featured posts on Syria here, here, here and here but as the situation disintegrates and fears regarding a sectarian civil war rise, this post discusses, with a particular focus on the Security Council, what the options(…)
Jim Yong Kim will be the next President of the World Bank. Two aspects of his appointment are interesting, first his expertise is in health and second the fact he was not born in the United States. While neither of these facts on their own are striking in the context of the World Bank they(…)
The Department of Foreign Affairs has announced that Ireland is to sign the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This is a welcome decision by the Government, though no date has been set for ratification. In many ways ratification is the most important step as it enables individuals(…)
The publicity surrounding the visit of Vice-president Xi Jinping to Ireland affirms the important role China now plays within the international legal order. Other than perhaps the pomp and ceremony surrounding the visits of US Presidents, his visit is as well publicised, if not better, than what most heads of state usually receive. Such ceremony,(…)
In December of 2009 we discussed on the blog the announcement that Ireland was to take over the Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2012. The OSCE is a regional European security body that has over 56 participating states including members in Europe, Central Asia and North America such(…)
While, there probably has never been a year that has not been ‘interesting’ for modern international law, the past twelve months has seen several developments which were entirely unpredicted this time last year. This post aims to give a general overview of the various developments in international law over the past year. While significant events(…)
The Arab League has taken an uncharacteristic turn in its activities over the past ten months. While the Arab Spring is takings its toll on states in the region, it appears that the most important regional organisation in North Africa and the Middle East, the Arab League, is catching some of the euphoria of change.(…)
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman have been named as this year’s recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. In announcing the award, the Committee underlined the importance of women in the securing of peace and stated that: In October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325. The resolution for the first time(…)
The time of year has come around again, when speeches are made to the world via the UN General Assembly and the IMF and World Bank have their annual meetings in Washington D.C.. We have covered these speeches previously here and Darren has covered the most pressing issue before the UN, Palestinian statehood, here. This(…)
A recent documentary on RTE radio 1 highlighted the Irish Army’s return to Lebanon. The Irish Defence Forces involvement in UN peacekeeping in Lebanon has had a long history and has even entered the pop culture of, in particular, 1980s and 1990′s Ireland in the guise of Christy Moore song Welcome to the Cabaret and films(…)
