self-defense

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Afghanistan, Biden Administration, CIA, collective self-defense, Department of State, international humanitarian law, International Law, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Middle East, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, Taliban, targeted killings, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Military, use of force, vision of peace, Yemen August 28, 2021

The U.S. “playbook” for drones and self-defense under international law

See, Charlie Savage, “Afghanistan Collapse and Strikes in Somalia Raise Snags for Drone Warfare Rules; But the Biden administration is close to finishing a new…

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Barack Obama, extraordinary rendition, Germany, History, International Law, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, self-defense, State Department Legal Adviser, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, U.N. Charter, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, vision of peace November 11, 2019

REPRISE (2019) — Veterans’ Day, 2011: “Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?”

Originally published on November 11, 2011 My uncle died in a field in northern France with a German bullet in his head. To him, and…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, France, Germany, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, NATO, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Peace Prize, Nuclear Proliferation, nuclear war, OSCE, Oslo, Russia, sanctions, Saudi Arabia, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Taliban, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, vision of peace, Vladimir Putin, war crimes November 11, 2015

REPRISE: Veterans’ Day, 2011: “Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?”

First published, November 11, 2011 My uncle died in a field in northern France with a German bullet in his head. To him, and all…

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"that spark of the divine", Barack Obama, China, Crimea, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, France, Germany, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Peace Prize, Nuclear Proliferation, Oslo, Russia, sanctions, Saudi Arabia, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Taliban, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, vision of peace, Vladimir Putin, war crimes November 11, 2014

REPRISE: Veterans’ Day, 2011: “Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?”

First published, November 11, 2011 My uncle died in a field in northern France with a German bullet in his head. To him, and all…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, International Law, Justice Department, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin September 8, 2014

Finland blocks entry into force of EU sanctions, gravely threatening prospects for peace in Ukraine

UPDATE (September 10, 2014) “Trotz Beschluss gegen Russland: EU drückt sich vor Sanktionen; Die Europäische Union zögert die angekündigten Strafmaßnahmen gegen Russland im Ukraine-Konflikt weiter…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, International Law, Justice Department, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin September 8, 2014

Pacifists and appeasers in EU delay entry into force of new sanctions, undermining hard actions which produced Minsk ceasefire and peace process agreement

Latest News and Opinion See (1) “Sanktionen in der Ukraine-Krise: EU lässt Moskau noch einige Tage,” Der Spiegel, 8. September 2014 (2153 Uhr). Sie sind…

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Barack Obama, Deutschland, European Union, Germany, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, U.N. Charter, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin September 5, 2014

Terms of Minsk ceasefire agreement described; NATO decisions and new U.S. and EU sactions—if not sidelined at last moment—suggest toughening stance toward Putin

Developing Neil MacFarquhar of the New York times has provided an excellent summary of the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached in Minsk today, in…

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Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, Germany, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin August 26, 2014

Julia Smirnova of Die Welt lays out proof that Russian regular troops are fighting in the eastern Ukraine

Despite Vladimir Putin’s blatant lies asserting that Russian troops have not entered the Ukraine, seasoned reporter Julia Mirnova of Die Welt lays out irrefutable evidence…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, History, International Law, Justice Department, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin August 26, 2014

REPRISE: Overt Russian military invasion of the Ukraine underway; West must impose harsh stage 3 sanctions immediately

Putin has challenged directly the existing international political and legal order, upon which, incidentally, the world’s economic order rests.

Either Putin and Russia win, or the West and the other civilized countries of the world win.

It is that stark and simple.

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Crimea, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, NATO, Russia, self-defense, State Department, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin, war crimes August 25, 2014

Putin redraws the map of Europe with Russian troops, as Western leaders slumber through the summer of appeasement of 2014

Western leaders, caught in the incapacitating net of their own illusions about Russia, and their own deep-seated pacifism and appeasement, are in effect slumbering through…

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Barack Obama, China, Crimea, Czechoslovakia, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Congress, U.S. Military, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin August 22, 2014

Overt Russian military invasion of the Ukraine underway; West must impose harsh stage 3 sanctions immediately

Developing Putin has challenged directly the existing international political and legal order, upon which, incidentally, the world’s economic order rests. Either Putin and Russia win,…

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Barack Obama, Crimea, Czechoslovakia, Deutschland, European Union, France, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, Vladimir Putin August 21, 2014

FEAR OF THE AGGRESSOR: Merkel reported planning to push for ceasefire in Ukraine at Minsk meeting with Poroshenko, Putin

Draft (developing) Richard Balmforth of Reuters reports tonight that President Petro Petroshenko plans to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his fighters from the…

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Barack Obama, Dictatorship, France, Germany, International Law, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Ukraine June 14, 2014

Distracted by Iraq and the World Cup: Pacifism and Appeasement continue to dictate West’s “non-response” to blatant Russian aggression in the eastern Ukraine (revised and updated June 18, 2014)

Last Revised and Updated June 18, 2014 Distracted by Iraq and the World Cup, the leaders of the West seem to have forgotten about the…