Brexit and Hong Kong

Two ongoing crises that have significant international law aspects are the protests in Hong Kong, and the pending withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We discussed the current crisis in Hong Kong briefly in class, in the context of quasi-states and states-like entities. Here is a "backgrounder" that will help explain the nature of the relationship between Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China.

Similarly, we discussed Brexit briefly after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom held that the Prime Minister's proroguing of parliament was unlawful. Brexit of course implicates both constitutional and international law issues. But it is in essence an international law matter, as the United Kingdom is trying to withdraw from the European Union - Brexit was initiated when the United Kingdom submitted its notice of termination of the Lisbon Treaty, a provision of which  governs termination and withdrawal. It is scheduled to withdraw on October 31, with or without a new agreement to govern relations with the EU, which most think would be a disaster for both the UK and the EU. A backgrounder on Brexit can be found here.