The Security Council’s mandate in Syria has come to an end and while a UN liaison office will remain in the country, all the peace observers have vacated their mission. Coupled with Kofi Annan’s decision to end his role as envoy of the UN and Arab League, this pull out suggests that the international institutional(…)
The Gambian Fatou Bensouda was sworn in this morning as the International Criminal Court’s new Chief Prosecutor, succeeding the Argentine Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Much has been made of the fact that she is the first woman to hold the post, but given that she is only the second chief prosecutor and the Swiss Carla Del Ponte(…)
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.(…)
One of the most cutting criticisms of the International Criminal Court is that of imperialism, best captured in the cries that it is “A European Court for Africans.” This reproach is not always disinterested of course – the revival of anti-colonial language at the time of the Bashir indictment would have been more convincing was(…)
Last week’s overthrow of the Libyan regime makes more likely the trial of Muammar El-Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi for crimes committed against demonstrators in the early days of the Libyan uprising. The UN Security Council referred the case to the ICC under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. At(…)
The headline item for today’s meeting of EU justice ministers was the “Southern Neighbourhood Region”. This is a somewhat euphemistic reference to the Europe’s poor response in the face of asylum seekers fleeing Libya. Last week the threatened reintroduction of border checks to prevent asylum seekers travelling from Italy to France prompted a communication from(…)
The vote in the Security Council last night represented an unprecedented step in the history of the authorisation of the use of force. All resolutions authorising the use of force must be decisions passed under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and, as with all resolutions of this kind, must not be vetoed by the permanent five(…)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a UK university seeking to secure its financial footing and improve its reputation, must be in want of wealthy benefactors. With universities facing a steep decline in direct public funding (and the consequent lifting of the cap on tuition fees to £9000), many find themselves scrambling for alternate(…)
The recent avalanche of protests and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa has been broadly welcomed by the international community. While some states, (for example France with regard to Tunisia) have been caught initially on ‘the wrong side of history‘, generally the peaceful and leaderless revolutions have been cautiously welcomed. Perhaps too cautiously at times, as states balance(…)
