In The News

Lawfare: RIP Federal Common Law of Foreign Relations?

Ingrid Wuerth August 19, 2018
Common law is developed by precedents rather than specific statutes. Ingrid Wuerth notes for Lawfare that the federal common law of foreign relations is a shrinking field with court interpretations undergoing revisions over the years. “The field was built in part on the claim that customary international law is federal common law and in part on the claim that federal judges should displace state...

The Economist: Refugees as Pawn in the Struggle for Syria

August 14, 2018
Syria’s Assad regime seemed destined for collapse at the start of the rebellion that began seven years ago. However, the Syrian leader is on the verge of victory over the rebels that attempted to institute a change in governance. The Economist notes: “the only rebels left are boxed into a corner of Syria’s north-west, in Idlib province. Regime forces are mustering at its edge, having recently...

3 Quarks Daily: Populism in Less Developed Countries

Pranab Bardhan August 13, 2018
Populism comes in many forms. For economists, populism represents the allure of short-term fixes that cause long-term damage; in political science, the term represents strong leaders wiling to dispense with the rule of law or minority rights. Populism of developing countries has its own traits, attracting educated, middle class and urban citizens as opposed to the uneducated, rural and working-...

The Economist: Why Morocco Cozies Up to Sub-Saharan Africa

August 8, 2018
As the intra-Maghreb rivalry continues unabated, Morocco cultivates ties with sub-Saharan neighbors. King Mohammed VI has visited 14 African nations since October 2016. A recent article for the Economist notes: “Like their king, Moroccan companies are also lavishing attention on west Africa. The African Development Bank estimates that 85% of Morocco’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) goes...

Globe and Mail: Saudi Arabia Breaks Ties With Canada

Steven Chase August 7, 2018
Canadian officials called for the release of civil-rights and women’s rights activists being held in Saudi Arabia and expressed concern about a crackdown on dissidents. “In response, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador Sunday, recalled their ambassador and frozen new trade dealings with Canada, decrying what they called foreign interference in their domestic affairs,” reports Steven...

Mail & Guardian: New Zimbabwe Is Not So Different

Simon Allison August 2, 2018
The internatonal community had hoped the end of Robert Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe would introduce a period of stability and prosperity. After fighting for Zimbabwe’s independence, Mugabe was the country’s president from 1987 until November 2017 when he was forced to resign. The country failed to deliver a peaceful or credible election on July 30, reports Simon Allison for the Mail & Guardian,...

The Diplomat: South China Sea Code of Conduct

Carl Thayer August 2, 2018
ASEAN foreign ministers and China have developed a draft negotiating text for code of conduct in the South China Sea. Singapore, as chairman of ASEAN for the upcoming year, led the effort. The draft will be the basis of future negotiations. Those negotiations have been underway since 1995. Points of disagreements since 2000 include geographic scope and construction restrictions. Carl Thayer,...