Developments in Nuclear Weapons Disarmament

This New York Times article recounts American allegations that Russia is violating one of the more important and successful nuclear weapons arms control treaties.

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for the commencement of negotiations in 2017 for a treaty aimed at banning nuclear weapons. The Guardian article on the move can be found here, and the resolution itself here. Most of the nuclear weapons states, including the U.S. and Russia, voted against the resolution.

Huge International Agreement on Climate Change

You will likely have seen the news that there was an international agreement reached to limit the use of HFCs, the chemical used most commonly in refrigerators. 170 countries agreed to the deal negotiated in Kigali, and it is said that it will likely have a greater impact, and is certainly more enforceable, than the Paris Climate Change Accord. How did they manage to get the deal? How is it that the U.S. government is able to ratify it without obtaining the advice and consent of the Senate?

Meanwhile, here is some analysis on the entry into force of the Paris Climate Change Accord.

ICJ Decision on Marshall Islands and Nuclear Weapons

Here is a preliminary analysis of the ICJ decision dismissing the case brought by the Marshall Islands against three of the nuclear weapons states. Note that the basis for the decision was something we just this week covered in class. Be sure to read this, and consider whether the excerpt of the case provided in this blog post is consistent with what we read and discussed this week in our consideration of dispute resolution and the jurisdiction of the ICJ.

JASTA and Sovereign Immunity

As we discussed briefly in class on Thursday, the big news this week is the override of President Obama's veto of the Justice Against Supporters of Terrorism Act (JASTA), and what this means for the doctrine of sovereign immunity. Here is one blog post that analyses the question of whether JASTA is inconsistent with international law; and here is an "initial analysis" of the effects of the new law. Ironically, members of Congress are now voicing regret for having voted to override the veto.