By Rick Mendenhall

Saudi Arabia’s intervention in conflict-wracked Yemen heated up last week. Saudi Arabia, backed by its Arab coalition, unleashed helicopter gunships against Shiite rebels in Yemen. Airstrikes have killed an estimated six hundred already. The U.S. has quietly stepped up intervention measures, including intelligence sharing, to back Saudi Arabia.  Russia, Germany, France, and other countries have evacuated its citizens (with a little help from India). On the diplomatic front, Russia rejected a draft in the UN Security Council that would have banned arms shipments to the Houthi rebels. Iran condemned the Saudi bombing campaign as genocide. 

Read More

May 05, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Why should every law student study international law? The Guardian recently suggested that the increased threat of terrorism, piracy, and increased global interconnectedness makes international law more relevant to law students. For instance, international law increasingly regulates every-day items, like breakfast cereal. To those aspiring regulatory attorneys, international law might be the class for you. 

If you like or you think you might like international law please join the American Society for International Law as they host a one day workshop on current debates in international law. Panelists will tackle the evolving nature of the discipline in North America.

Read More

April 28, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Just last week, the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) upheld the conviction of former Serbian General Tolimir for genocide. The former general is expected to remain incarcerated for the rest of his life. Although the decision was delivered without much fanfare, not every recent decision by the ICTY has been free from intrigue. The New York Times covered a heated row among court judges along national lines. The spat resulted in a judge being disqualified from a case.

With national ties playing a role in international courts, the question becomes how should judges be selected to avoid international disagreements? Please join the American Society of International Law on April 24, 2015 as they answer that very question. The panel includes a former judge of the International Criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia, and the executive director of the Center for Justice and International law. Try not to miss it!

Read More

April 21, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Fasten your seatbelts, fellow international law enthusiasts! Your very own Georgetown Journal of International Law is hosting a symposium next Friday April 10 on the Gewirz 12^th Floor. The theme of the panel discussion will be World Cops Without World Courts, but topics will also include: the foreign affairs power and modern Supreme Court jurisprudence, practitioners before international institutions, and alternate venues for international law. A reception will follow closing remarks from 4:45 until 5:30.

To the avid SCOTUSblog follower, the foreign affairs power is no stranger. Just last November SCOTUS heard arguments in Zivotofsky v. Kerry. While the case dealt with a relatively tame statute that regulated the Secretary of State’s conduct, the foreign affairs power may have larger significance in the coming months due to the multilateral Iranian treaty the United States is negotiating as we speak. If issues like these interest you, be sure to join us next Friday!

Read More

April 06, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Two years ago, the EU passed a resolution to harmonize the conflict-of-law rules governing inheritance across the European Union. The hope was to simplify the conflict-of-law procedure so that each jurisdiction knew which nation’s rules applied without jeopardizing the substantive law. In addition, the EU re-forged the rules of evidence governing inheritance to further standardize this area of law. This August, that resolution comes into effect.

To learn about the intricacies and the effects of this resolution, please join American University’s Washington College of Law on March 25^th when they host a panel on EU regulation 650/2012. Speakers hail from France, and should provide an instructive discussion.

Read More

April 03, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Although domestic news is abuzz with New Jersey Senator Menendez’s pending corruption charges, the legal community is looking abroad this month toward combatting international corruption through legal frameworks.

Please join George Washington University Law School this March 25^th when they host a conference on institutional responses to international corruption. Speakers include lawyers from the World Bank, professors and senior officials from the Departments of Commerce and State.

For those interested in international safeguards against corruption, Professor Susan Aaronson, one of the conference’s speakers, explains here how the WTO fosters anti-corruption governance in developing countries.

Read More

March 25, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Remember that time I wrote about the sex appeal of corruption in blogposts? Well DC’s international legal events community must be following The Summit because we have a cavalcade of corruption events this month.

Please join the American Society of International Law this April when they host a conference on corruption in international arbitration. Speakers include partners from Sidley Austin, White & Case, and local professors. Panelists will address domestic remedies for corrupt international arbitration decisions, and how corruption claims might alter the jurisdictions of arbitration panels.

For those interested in international arbitration, Inside Counsel has a good run down here of the main differences between international arbitration and domestic litigation. If you just want to read about corruption, The Economist has a tremendous follow-up on the Chinese official I wrote about in November who stashed ten semi-trailer truckloads of gold, jade and cash in his basement.

Read More

March 23, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Last month, the Palestinian Authority petitioned to join the International Criminal Court. In a move drawing criticism from both the U.S. and Israel, the Court accepted Palestine and opened up preliminary inquiries into war crimes and human rights abuses committed by Israel.

Palestine’s pursuit of a higher court is not an unusual move given the relative inaccessibility to the Israeli Judiciary by Palestinians. To that effect, GW Law’s International and Comparative Law program is hosting a talk on the availability of Israeli courts to Palestinian Plaintiffs. If you wish to learn more, hop on the orange or blue line over to Foggy Bottom next Monday February 23, to hear from Professor Michael Karayanni speak.  

Read More

February 19, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

For four years Google has battled with European policy makers over its status in Europe as the pre-eminent search engine company. A prominent EU official recently called for a swift resolution to the Google anti-trust inquiry signaling that Google’s troubles in Europe might be mounting.

If you’re interest in learning more, Georgetown Law is hosting a Google anti-trust talk next Tuesday February 24, in McDonough 201. Hope to see you there.

Read More

February 19, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

This week the Obama administration upped the ante in the battle against ISIS, but on the Turkish-Syria border a different type of struggle against ISIS is taking place: one for Syria’s ancient artifacts. 

A group of modern day Indiana Joneses have gathered—academics (possibly fedora-adorned)—tasking themselves with protecting relics and archeological sites from looters, civilians, and ISIS.

Their quest, moreover, is not just an idle adventure of cognescentes—the illegal trade in Syria’s cultural goods is ISIS’s second highest revenue source (after oil).

That said, these scholars are not working outside the framework of international law. A rich tradition of art protection has evolved since World War II. This Wednesday February 18, the American Society of International law is hosting a symposium on that very topic—international royalty rights, looting prevention, and repatriation procedures. Please join them for a stimulating discussion.

Read More

February 17, 2015

By Rick Mendenhall

Call them Ishmael. Or Ahab. Possibly Jack Sparrow?  Maybe all of the above. Since the 1960’s, large transnational companies have foamed at the mouth for the chance to deep-sea mine for precious minerals like manganese, copper, and gold. The underwater gold rush, however, never materialized. Affordable technology that would enable an undersea treasure cruise just did not exist.

That is, until now.

Equipped with new technology and a larger demand for precious metals, companies are acting like it’s the Summer of Love. The UN’s International Seabed Authority has even approved mineral exploration licenses.

But it’s not all peace, love, and Jimi Hendrix. Scientists are anxious about the impact on deep sea ecosystems, and New Zealand’s Environmental Protection recently struck down a deep sea mining contract because of its potential effect on the environment.

Recognizing the tension and the lack of an international legal framework on deep sea mining, the American Society for International Law is hosting a brown bag lunch at the Tillar House on December 9^th devoted to ocean mining. Please join them for a rousing discussion!

Read More

December 05, 2014

By Rick Mendenhall

In the 1980s, a bloody civil war between El Salvador’s military government and leftist rebels razed the tiny nation. Both sides committed massive human rights abuses. Soldiers massacred women and children in hamlets, and death squads targeted religious figures for assassination. The carnage is well known, but less well known is that Florida harbored two Salvadoran generals suspected of gross human rights violations. Recently, however, based on a trove of evidence that these generals ordered extrajudicial killings, an immigration court in Florida has ordered the generals’ extradition back to El Salvador (subject to an appeal). For the full immigration decisions click here and here.

These human rights abuses might end with extradition, but this might be little consolation to the Salvadoran families harmed a quarter century ago. This coming Friday (December 4^th) through Sunday (December 6^th), American University is hosting the Fifth International Human Rights Education conference. Please join them as speakers from over forty nations will be in attendance.

Read More

December 04, 2014