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December 19, 2007 | The US Must Show Its Commitment to International Law

Scott T. Paul: The Senate’s ratification of the Law of the Sea is essential in showing US commitment to international law, especially as the treaty is supported by business, the military, and the White House.

December 4, 2008 | A New Strategy to Fight Piracy

A new strategy to tackle Somali piracy has become imperative. ++ A blockade with patrolling naval ships at each major port has the best hope of counteracting the pirates’ wealth and anonymity ++ Customary international law can be exercised to allow states to use force against pirates on the high seas. ++ A clear UNSC mandate would also facilitate cohesive action from EU and a multinational

November 19, 2008 | Fighting Piracy Should Be More Like the Old Days

The hijacking of a Saudi-owned oil tanker is unprecedented but only part of the recent, dramatic rise in piracy. ++ Capturing pirates in not a major problem, but due process makes dealing with captive pirates more complex than in the 1700s. ++ Universal jurisdiction should be applied in this case, allowing any state to try and punish pirates. ++ States should then try them in military courts. ++

October 30, 2008 | Old Bush/Cheney Tricks in Syria

US interests, and its allies, were dealt a severe blow when US commandos attacked an alleged Al Qaeda operative in Syria, killing seven civilians. ++ The risks of such an attack include “sabotaging Israeli-Syrian peace talks, reversing the trend of Syrian cooperation in Iraq and Lebanon, and playing into the hands of Iran,” which undoubtedly outweigh any “fleeting tactical

August 13, 2008 | A Juridical View on the Caucasus Conflict

The clashes in the Caucasus show once again how explosive secessionist conflicts can be. ++ According to international law, they endanger global peace and only the UN and the OSCE are authorized to manage the resolution of such conflicts. ++ But parties involved distrust UN mediation: the separatists because the sovereignty of Georgia is highlighted; Georgia because Russia has a veto in the

June 12, 2008 | No More Humanitarian Interventions

“Many of the world’s necessary interventions in the decade before the invasion - in places like Haiti and the Balkans - would seem impossible in today’s climate.” ++ In the wake of the Burmese cyclone, the strength of totalitarian governments and the unwillingness of others to pressure them have all become troublingly apparent. ++ US involvement in Iraq has only accelerated this

July 23, 2007 | Time For a Transatlantic Consensus on International Law

William H. Taft and Frances G. Burwell from the Atlantic Council advise the EU and US to coordinate their positions before the ICC review conference in 2009. The transatlantic partners must set an example for the rest of the world.

With the review conference on the International Criminal Court (ICC) coming up in 2009, a concerted transatlantic effort to build global consensus on international