In The News

Microsoft Described as “Biggest Hacker in China”

Tania Branigan October 23, 2008
In demonstrating a prowess in combating online piracy, Microsoft has infuriated Chinese internet users. “The new version of its Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy programme turns the on-screen background black every hour if the installed software fails a validation test,” reports Tania Branigan for the Guardian. Chinese internet users argue the company should target producers who violate...

When Judges Make Foreign Policy

Noah Feldman October 2, 2008
US Supreme Court decisions comment on major trends, including globalization. Two perspectives have emerged from the court, notes law professor Noah Feldman, writing for the New York Times. One suggests that law “derives its legitimacy from being enacted by elected representatives of the people” and the other suggests that law aims for a “global ideal.” The US Supreme Court is divided between...

American Exception: US Court Is Now Guiding Fewer Nations

Adam Liptak September 23, 2008
American legal influence is waning as foreign courts pay less attention to US court decisions, suggests Adam Liptak in an article for the New York Times. One reason is that Supreme Court justices are wary about citing decisions from foreign courts. As a result, the US loses one of its great bully pulpits, notes one scholar. Intense debate is underway among legal scholars about whether the US...

New US Law Requiring Country-of-Origin Label on Food to Take Effect

September 18, 2008
As of September 30, US food manufacturers and grocery stores will follow footsteps of some other countries by labeling meat, fruits and vegetables with country of origin. Fish and seafood have carried such labels since 2005. “The idea gained momentum, though, following a string of food-borne illness outbreaks, new concerns over the safety of food imports and some of the largest meat recalls in...

Ending Lapse into Lawlessness

Kenneth Roth August 29, 2008
The US president has denied that the country relies on torture, but human-rights advocates do not agree with the country’s definitions of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or a process that limits harsh treatment to those who are not US citizens. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, urges candidates for US president to close detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay and end...

A Door Opens for Reform in Pakistan – Part I

Paula R. Newberg August 21, 2008
With President Pervez Musharraf finally gone, Pakistan has been celebrating amidst political chaos not unusual for a reborn democracy. Major powers and neighbors who have an interest in Pakistan’s success cannot afford a “wait and see” attitude, suggests Paula Newberg in the first article of a two-part series. The current government must work to restore citizens’ faith in institutions that are...

Immigrants Facing Deportation by US Hospitals

Deborah Sontag August 11, 2008
It’s no secret that there are serious problems with both the US health-care system and US immigration policy. Less obvious, though, are the ways in which those problems can overlap. The US government requires hospitals to care for all in need of lifesaving medical treatment – including foreign immigrants, but does not cover all costs for that care. Some hospitals, eager to rid themselves of the...