In The News

Council on Foreign Relations: Global Implications of Justice Kennedy’s Retirement

Stewart M. Patrick July 2, 2018
US Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy had a lead role in sculpting a positive relationship between the United States and international law over his tenure. His replacement promises to be more conservative, with Donald Trump aiming to appoint a successor before midterm elections. “Foreign relations law,” regarding the place of international law in US jurisprudence, is a field that...

The New York Times: Global Increase in Armed Groups

Kenneth R. Rosen June 29, 2018
The increasing number of localized armed groups worldwide poses a challenge for humanitarian workers. The groups, characterized as “looser, with less top-down control,” are generally informed on international humanitarian law, writes Kenneth Rosen. Humanitarian workers struggle to communicate with non-state fighters, and this adds to the challenges of treating wounded soldiers and civilians....

Los Angeles Times: California Judge Orders Immigrant Families Reunited

Elliot Spagat, Michael Balsamo and Will Weissert June 27, 2018
The United States, striving to limit migrants crossing the southern border, has separated children from parents since April, scattering them in more than 2,000 in shelters and foster homes around the country. A US district judge ruled that the government must reunite the families within 30 days – 14 days for children younger than 5. The government must arrange for contact between children and...

National Review: Asylum Crisis Is a Security Challenge

Andrew C. McCarthy June 25, 2018
The US government struggles to control a border in crisis as hundreds of families seek asylum. The rule of law is only as good as enforcement backed by adequate resources. Writing for National Review, Andrew McCarthy argues the crisis is a security rather than legal challenge, and he maintains that new laws will not resolve the immediate problem. He urges barriers to stop the flow of immigrants...

Chatham House: Britain Stands Up to China Over Freedom of Navigation

Bill Hayton June 8, 2018
British naval ships traversed the South China Sea to demonstrate support for freedom of navigation despite China’s claims to most of the major waterway. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed by China and the UK, gives countries control over 12 nautical miles from their coasts – foreign military and other ships have the right to traverse such waters as long as they do not “threaten ‘...

African Business: Will Facebook’s Troubles Cost Africans?

Rafiq Raji June 7, 2018
Facebook admits to collecting data on people who are not users, who did not agree to terms of service, for security reasons. Such collections may clash with efforts of the EU General Data Protection Regulation that aim to give people control over their data. “The GDPR may become the global model for regulating tech firms that collect personal data and earn income by selling or drawing profitable...

Bloomberg: EU Wants Members to Respect Values or Take Pay Cut

Leonid Berehidsky May 4, 2018
The European Union represents values as much as much as trade, political or economic relationships – and its staff proposes reducing budgets of member states that weaken the rule of law and tolerate corruption. The European Commission has proposed a $1.3 trillion budget that would “make it more difficult for nationalist governments to use the union’s money to garner voter loyalty,” explains...