Material on Climate Change

As I mentioned in class when we were examining the international law on the environment, a good though now slightly dated book on global warming and climate change is Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and what it Means for Life on Earth (2005). Also good, and slightly dated, is Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth. While some details in the movie have been questioned or refuted, it remains a good presentation of the overarching arguments. The evidence has only become stronger since the mid-2000s when both this book and movie were published, and the scientific consensus on the issue of man-induced global warming is now considerably stronger than it was then.
 

Developments in the Syrian Conflict

As we discussed in class, the conflict in Syria is continuing to intensify, and several recent developments will have the effect of changing the analysis of how a number of different international law principles would apply in the circumstances. Among these developments are the evolution of a more cohesive and unified opposition, which in mid-November was recognized by France as the legitimate representative of the people of Syria. This was followed by formal recognition by the U.K., and then something less that formal recognition by the E.U. as a whole. Meanwhile the fighting has continued to intensify. The U.S. has been unable to prevent the flow of weapons to the Syrian regime via Iraq, and the Obama administration is said to be weighing more direct support for the opposition forces. At what point would such support become lawful under international law? Would direct intervention be lawful under the principles of the use of force regime? Under what circumstances, if at all?

Non-Member Observer State Status for Palestinian Authority

As we discussed in class, the U.N. General Assembly voted last Thursday on the issue of granting the Palestinian Authority non-member observer state status. As expected, the world voted overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution, in the end with over two-thirds of the membership voting "yes". An overall analysis of the vote can be found here (and video from CNN here, and the BBC here).  Only nine countries voted "no", of which only the U.S., Canada, and Israel were major western countries. Some of the possible ramifications of the new status, including access to the ICC, are discussed here. On Friday, in a move opposed by the U.S., Israel announced plans to proceed with building new settlements in Eastern Jerusalem, which was seen as both a response to the vote, and as making any two state solution more difficult - you can read about those issues here, and here. The settlements are generally viewed as being in violation of international law.

Presentation Batting Order

Presentations next week will be conducted in the following order:

Tuesday:
 1) Jared, 2) Jordan, 3) Nhu, 4) Aaron, 5) Matt, 6) Liz, 7) Christina, 8) India, 9) Marissa;

Thursday: 
10) Cate, 11) Megan, 12) Sara, 13) Jaci, 14) Kallie, 15) Denise.

UNFCCC - COP 18 in Doha

Further to our discussion this week of international environmental law, and in particular the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, you should take a look at the proceedings of the 18th COP, which is under way this month in Doha.

Readings - Environmental Law

In preparation for our examination of international environmental law next week, you should read Chapter 18, Sections 1-3 (pp. 1486-1511).

Israeli Strikes in Gaza

As I am sure you must have already heard, Israel today launched intense air-strikes in Gaza, in which more than 10 people have so far been killed, including children. As part of the operation, Israel conducted a targeted killing of one of most senior officials of Hamas. The operations were said to be a response to a recent increase in rocket fire from Gaza into civilian populated areas of Southern Israel. Several hundred rockets were fired in the last week, causing several injuries to civilians. Egypt has recalled its ambassador from Israel and has called upon the Arab League to take action, and has also requested that the issue be taken up by the UN Security Council. There are fears that Israel is planning to mount a more sustained military operation as it did in Operation Cast Lead in 2009, in which more than 1,500 Palestinians were killed and significant portions of Gaza's infrastructure was destroyed.

How would you analyze the situation in terms of the doctrine of self-defense we studied over the last week? Does the rocket fire, much of it conducted by extremist groups operating in Gaza but not directly under the control of Hamas, constitute an armed attack against Israel, triggering the right of self-defense? If so, how would you analyze the necessity of the Israeli operations, and at what point would you suggest that the principle of proportionality is being violated? How would you measure that? Be sure to monitor events as they unfold with these questions in mind.