The Texas Board of Education voted on Friday to make many substantial changes in the Texas school system’s social studies curriculum. I support many of these changes. Students will be taught that the U.S. is a “constitutional republic” rather than “democratic.” This is correct. Students should learn about the ways in which the Founding Fathers […]
Preemption has become a dirty word. But this need not and should not be so. I bring this up because the Obama administration’s Nuclear Posture Review has drawn the Bush administration’s so-called “preemption” doctrine into the news again. The only problem is the Bush administration’s preemption doctrine was not a preemption doctrine. Just ask the […]
I wrote a review of the book, The Hawk and the Dove, for Great Power Politics, a site run by fellow FPA blogger Patrick Frost. The book is an entertaining read about the Cold War debates between George Kennan and Paul Nitze. Check out my review here.
In lieu of a substantive post, I offer you links: 1) The UK is establishing a barrier to implementing universal jurisdiction: approval of arrest warrants by public prosecutors. 2) Violence and voting irregularities marred Iraq’s continued attempt to practice democracy. 3) The UN Security Council is beginning to focus on Iranian arms sales that violate […]
The culpability of doctors in the U.S.-run torture program bubbles up every now and then, as it did in the New York Times earlier this week. Here are some highlights: According to Justice Department memos released last year, the medical service opined that sleep deprivation up to 180 hours didn’t qualify as torture. It determined […]
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard arguments for the Holder versus Humanitarian Law Project case. You can read the arguments here. The case concerns Ralph Fertig, who wants to help the PKK use non-violent means to achieve its objectives. However, since the U.S. dubs the PKK a terrorist organization, Fertig finds that his endeavor […]
Gallup recently found that just 31% of Americans think the UN “is doing a good job… in trying to solve the problems it has had to face.” This question is so broad that I’m not sure how it’s useful. What problems has the UN had to face? Why isn’t it doing a good job trying […]
A new tradition has emerged in American public discourse. After a suicide attack occurs on U.S. soil, the public debates whether or not the attack is “terrorism.” This happened last fall after the Hasan shooting and it’s happening again after the IRS attack. At Discovery News, Ian O’Neill looks to the dictionary, the FBI’s web-site, […]
I saw Avatar last week, just in time, apparently, to truly understand the significance of this: While I understand the the analogy, I also see the differences between James Cameron’s fictional scenario and the actual scenario unfolding in the Middle East. For me, the most significant distinction is the complete lack of pretexts in Avatar […]
Over the weekend, I watched the Great Decisions episode on the responsibility to protect (R2P). The episode consists of a conversation with Joe Volk (from the Friends Committee on National Legislation) and Monica Serrano (from the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect), among other experts, including Ban Ki Moon, who chime in on the […]
Last year there was Jack Goldsmith’s The Cheney Fallacy. Then, a few months later, came Eric Posner’s article in Foreign Policy. Now comes John Bellinger’s New York Times editorial (h/t to Opinio Juris). These editorials hit the nail on the head. As Bellinger writes, “the Bush administration demonstrated a greater commitment to international law in […]
In case you missed it, the New York Times had an interesting article last week about the Holder v. New Humanitarian Law Project case. The case concerns Ralph Fertig, who would like to provide support to the Kudistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to help them peacefully achieve their objectives. However, Fertig’s endeavor may be illegal, as […]
In the comments section of yesterday’s Goldstone post, David Bernstein points our way to many critiques of the Goldstone Report he deems valid and substantive. I recommend reading them and also perusing the spirited debate in the comments section of Bernstein’s Volokh Conspiracy post from yesterday. Deem for yourself whether the critiques rise to the […]
David Bernstein of The Volokh Conspiracy examines an interview with Desmond Travers, a member of the fact-finding mission that resulted in the Goldstone report. Bernstein lists some quotes from the interview, stating: All the quotes check out, but the quotes recounted above don’t begin to illustrate Travers’s hatred of Israel, unwillingness to credit anything Israel […]