U.N. Torture Convention

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crime of aggression, Crimes Against Humanity, crimes against peace, Individual and collective self-defense, international humanitarian law, International Law, Russia, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian invasion of Ukraine, sanctions, State Department Legal Adviser, threat of the use of force, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, Ukraine, United Nations, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes April 14, 2022

Ukraine War, April 14, 2022 (II): REPRISE–Why Putin cannot win

REPRISE–Why Putin cannot win Originally published February 15, 2022 Why Putin Cannot Win We need to take a deep breath, step back, and ask ourselves,…

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Afghanistan, Biden Administration, China, collective self-defense, Department of State, Deutschland, European Union, Germany, History, International Law, Joe Biden, NATO, nuclear war, propaganda, public diplomacy, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, threat of the use of force, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, UAE, Ukraine, United Nations, United Nations Secretary General, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes

Ukraine War, February 25, 2022: “We are all Ukrainians now”; U.N. Security Council resolution and vote (with links to video and text of resolution)

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"that spark of the divine", Biden Administration, collective self-defense, crimes against peace, Dictatorship, History, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, International Trade, Joe Biden, NATO, propaganda, public diplomacy, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, Soviet Union, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, threat of the use of force, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United Nations, United Nations Secretary General, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes

Ukraine War, February 23, 2022: History–It all matters; blame enough to go around; cyber and collective self-defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression; conditions for a cease-fire; the long war with Russia (cold and maybe hot) that lies ahead: the failure of U.S. and NATO strategy; avoiding Armageddon

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Belarus, Crimes Against Humanity, crimes against peace, International Criminal Court (ICC), International Law, public diplomacy, Russia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.N. Torture Convention, Ukraine, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes

WARNING TO RUSSIAN SOLDIERS ENTERING UKRAINE: Russian soldiers who commit war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine may be subject to trial before the International Criminal Court, and in countries exercising universal jurisdiction; they may never in their lifetimes be able to travel to European and other countries that have ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC, or which exercise universal jurisdiction over such crimes

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"that spark of the divine", CIA, debate over the efficacy of torture, Donald Trump, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, human rights, human rights reports, Rule of Law, Torture, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, United States, war crimes April 22, 2018

CIA nominee is presumptive war criminal; multiple reasons to reject Haspel nomination

Developing–preliminary draft We have grown tired under Donald Trump’s relentless assault on our democratic values and the rule of law.  With no responsible officials at…

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"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, debate over the efficacy of torture, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Nobel Peace Prize, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, syria, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, vision of peace, war crimes April 5, 2017

REPRISE: “A time to break silence”: Dr. King on the Vietnam war, and President Carter on America’s human rights violations

Fifty years ago, on April 4, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King gave the first of two speeches that month setting forth why he was opposed…

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2016 U.S. Presidential election, CIA, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, Donald Trump, Google, Google filtering, Google indexing, History, human rights, Intelligence, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes February 2, 2017

Trump, Russia and the betrayal of American heroes

Developing The worst case scenario, we wrote after the election on November 8, 2016, would be if Trump acted during the transition and his presidency…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, Donald Trump, European Union, History, human rights, Intelligence, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, NATO, Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, Soviet Union, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Torture Convention, Ukraine, United States, use of force, vision of peace, Vladimir Putin, war crimes November 14, 2016

President-elect Trump, foreign policy, and the defense of core American values

Developing Given Donald Trump’s inexperience in foreign policy, he may not understand or appreciate certain fundamental principles and realities that are essential for the maintenance…

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Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, debate over the efficacy of torture, Deutschland, European Union, France, freedom of speech, genocide, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, Libya, NATO, Russia, Soviet Union, syria, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin March 7, 2016

International Law and the Descent toward Barbarism: MSF —“Wars are being fought as in ‘barbarian times’

International Law constitutes the structure and the fabric which helps to hold international society back from a descent into barbarism. But, as is the case…

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Barack Obama, CIA, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, European Union, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, International Law, Iraq, NATO, Nicaragua, Russia, Serbia, Soviet Union, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes January 17, 2016

2016: Fateful time for a conversation about international law

Does any of this matter? Do we care any more about whether one country invades another by military force? Does it matter how we respond?…

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"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, CIA, History, human rights, human rights reports, International Law, Justice Department, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, Torture, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, United States, war crimes December 31, 2014

Torture is an issue which defines America as a nation

  We now have the published Executive Suumary of the Senate Select Committee on Inteligence Torture Report. In one of Senator Diane Feinstein’s finest acts…

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"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, Brazil, CIA, debate over the efficacy of torture, Deutschland, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, Germany, History, human rights, human rights reports, Intelligence, International Law, Justice Department, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, United States, war crimes December 10, 2014

Brazil publishes Truth Commission Report; U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture Released; U.S. officials debate whether torture “worked”

Developing — preliminary draft See (1) “Comissão Nacional da Verdade entrega a Dilma relatório final das investigawções; Presidente recebeu em audiência no Palácio do Planalto,…