International Law
The Anatomy of Annexation: How a 2010 ICJ Ruling Destabilized International Law to Putin’s Benefit
Vladimir Putin’s speech to mark the annexation of four Ukrainian regions was rich in history and hyperbole. However, the Russian leader leveled an accusation at the West it struggles to...
Uganda Begins Paying $325 Million in Congo War Reparations
The Ugandan Finance Ministry announced on Monday that it had transferred $65 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—the first installment of the $325 million reparations package that...
ICC Conviction Establishes ‘Forced Pregnancy’ as a War Crime
The conviction of Dominic Ongwen, a former commander in the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an array of crimes against...
Sanctions on the ICC Are Counter to American Interests
The Trump administration has sought to weaken or abandon various international agencies since 2016. Now it’s taking aim at the International Criminal Court, a global tribunal that investigates and prosecutes...
Could this Court Case Strip China of Its South China Sea Claims?
From November 24 to 30, the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) convened in The Hague to hear oral arguments on merit in the The Republic of Philippines v The...
Will Gitmo Throw a Wrench in the U.S.-Cuba Rapprochement?
Raul Castro has insisted that the United States return control of Guantánamo Bay to Cuba as part of the normalization of relations between the two neighbors. He has good reason...
Time to Revise America’s Cuban Immigration Policy
As a high-level U.S. delegation travels to Havana for talks on migration today, the United States must revisit its outdated policies regarding migrants from Cuba. U.S. Coast Guard interceptions of...
Asia’s Maritime Disputes 101: A Legal Primer
Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a series of primers produced in partnership with the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC). “Words have meanings.” It’s easy to dismiss this...
Russia and the Precedent Problem
One constant of Russian diplomacy in the last several years has been for Moscow to vociferously criticize U.S. actions that go against Russia’s preferences, particularly those that represent any erosion...
What Does International Law Say about Bombing ISIL in Syria?
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey has stated that ISIL cannot be defeated without attacks on the Syrian territory the group has occupied. Surveillance flights to...
Revolution and Intervention: A Delicate Balance, Destroyed
WHEN HE RAN for president in 2008, Barack Obama promised a new era of restraint in U.S. foreign policy. And in some respects, he has indeed been more restrained than...
Palestine’s ICC Threat: Pluses and Minuses for Mahmoud Abbas
The shooting has resumed in Gaza. But where will things go when it ends? Inevitably, in each operation in Gaza since 2008 there is a “Goldstone-ification” on the Palestinian side—a...