U.N.

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China, Crimea, European Union, International Law, NATO, Russia, sanctions, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, Ukraine, use of force, Vladimir Putin August 8, 2014

U. N. Security Council meets on Ukraine (with video links to webcast); Medvedev insinuates world community will accept further Russian military intervention in the Ukraine; Russian “President” of “Donetsk People’s Repiblic” resigns in favor of Ukrainian deputy

Developing Medvedev’s Remarks Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency reported today on Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev’s comments in Russian military intervention in Georgia in 2008, insinuating…

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Barack Obama, Chemical weapons, China, coverage of foreign events, Crimes Against Humanity, Deutschland, Dictatorship, foreign news coverage, France, Germany, History, human rights, International Law, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes September 7, 2013

Commentary on Syria and the response of the West

Latest News Reports and Commentary Aus Deutschland (1) Stefan Kornelius (Kommentar), Obama spürt die Kraft der zwei Mahlsteine, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7. September 2013 (9:34 Uhr)….

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Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, foreign news coverage, France, History, human rights, human rights reports, International Law, Iran, Lebanon, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes June 6, 2013

The U.N. Commission’s Report on Syria, Obama, and the path ahead with Susan Rice and Samantha Power

The release of the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria is discussed in a previous post. The report details the horrors of…

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Africa, Barack Obama, International Law, Mali, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, U.N. Charter, U.S Foreign Relations, use of force December 21, 2012

U.N. Security Council adopts Resolution 2085 authorizing political, training and military action to restore control over North in Mali; confused resolution launches international bureaucratic and decision-making monstrosity

For those that have been following or are only dimly aware of recent events in Mali, where Tuareg revolutionaries and al-Queda linked terrorists have taken…

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Barack Obama, Dictatorship, Egypt, France, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Middle East, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, U.S Foreign Relations, U.S. Congress, United States November 27, 2012

“L’État, c’est moi”—Mohamed Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood launch coup d’état in Egypt

“L’Etat, c’est moi.” “I am the state.” –quote attributed to King Louis IV Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has executed a legal coup d’état through a decree…

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Continuing massacres in Syria, at Daraya and elsewhere; legal justification for military intervention — Obama’s Debacle in Syria —Update #78 (August 26)

Anxiety over the risks of a regional conflagration deepened further as it became clear that the violence in Syria was intensifying, with more civilians killed….

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U.N. General Assembly adopts resolution condemning Syria by vote of 133-12 with 31 abstentions (vote tally and full text)—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #72 (August 3) Revised

Updated at 02:15 a.m. EDT, August 4, 2012 Today, August 3, 2012, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution on Syria by a vote of…

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Afghanistan, Africa, Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, dubai, extrajudicial execution, France, Germany, human rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Middle East, Mossad, NATO, Nelson Mandela, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, sanctions, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Togo, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United Kingdom, United States, war crimes July 20, 2012

Security Council adopts Resolution 2059 extending mandate of UNSMIS for 30 days (with text); fighting and risks intensify—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #67 (July 20)

The U.N. Security Council adopted a draft resolution sponsored by the United Kingdom, France, and Germany on Friday morning, July 20, 2012, extending the term…

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Barack Obama, China, CIA, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, France, Germany, History, human rights, human rights reports, International Law, Justice Department, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, united arab emirates, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes, Yemen June 23, 2012

Immunity or safe-conduct for al-Assad? Can Kofi Annan fail? Conference before cease-fire?—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #56 (June 23)

A lot of wasted time and diplomatic effort could be saved if the world’s leaders insisted on their top international lawyers sitting in on critical…

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Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, human rights reports, International Law, Iran, Lebanon, NATO, Russia, sanctions, Serbia, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, united arab emirates, United States, use of force, war crimes June 7, 2012

New massacre, some 140 killed in Syria; U.N. General Assembly meeting, Security Council consultations on Thursday—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #49 (June 7)

The BBC reports, Syrian pro-government forces have killed at least 86 people in Hama province, many of them women and children, activists say (emphasis added)….

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Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, human rights reports, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Middle East, Russia, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Torture, U.N. Security Council, United States, use of force, war crimes April 14, 2012

At last, the Security Council acts on Syria, adopting Resolution 2042—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #26 (April 14)

Finally, after 10,000 deaths, the United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution on Syria, by a unanimous vote of 15-0, with the affirmative votes…

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Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Israel, kosovo, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, syria, Taliban, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, use of force, war crimes March 5, 2012

Republican Senator John McCain Urges U.S. Military Attacks to Halt Atrocities in Syria—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #3 (March 5)

For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. *** “Therefore, at the request of the Syrian National Council,…

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Passivity in the Face of Terror in Syria, Threats of War in Iran — Obama’s Debacle in Syria—Update #2 (March 3, 2012)

For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. A Hard Truth:  Obama is a Weak Leader on Foreign…

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Barack Obama, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, France, Germany, human rights, human rights reports, Intelligence, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Israel, kosovo, Russia, Serbia, State Department, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force February 29, 2012

Diplomats founder: Military action, not “mediation”, required to halt crimes against humanity—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #1 (February 29, revised March 1)

Revised March 1, 2012 For earlier articles on Syria by The Trenchant Observer, see the Articles on Syria page. Syrian tank firing in Homs “So,…

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Barack Obama, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, human rights, Intelligence, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, united arab emirates, United States, use of force, war crimes January 14, 2012

Qatar’s leader suggests sending troops to Syria

The Financial Times reported today, Arab troops should be sent to end the bloodshed in the uprising against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, Qatar’s ruler has…

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China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, elections, extrajudicial execution, human rights, International Law, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Middle East, NATO, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes, Yemen December 31, 2011

Government Terror in Syria—Putin, Al Assad, and Security Council Referral to the ICC

The Arab League “deal” with Syria looks increasingly like the African Union peace efforts aimed at blocking Security Council action in Libya. Fortunately, NATO and…

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Afghanistan, CIA, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, NATO, Nobel Lecture, Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, self-defense, State Department Legal Adviser, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, U.N. Charter, U.S Foreign Relations, U.S. Military, use of force July 17, 2011

International Law and the Use of Force: Drones and Real Anarchy Unleashed Upon the World

Recently a number of articles have been published that are of particular interest with respect to the development and use of drones. See William Wan…

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Afghanistan, Barack Obama, CIA, human rights, human rights reports, Intelligence, International Law, Justice Department, NATO, Pakistan, self-defense, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, Taliban, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, U.N. Charter, U.S. Military, United States, use of force June 2, 2010

Targeted Killings: U.N. Special Rapporteur Alston Publishes Report to U.N. Human Rights Council

Today, Philip Alston, a highly distinguished human rights expert and U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, published a report addressing international law…