Law Commons^™

The Somali Piracy Problem: A Global Puzzle Necessitating A Global Solution, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

Over the past few years, piracy has exploded off the coast of Somalia. Somali pirates congregate on a "mother ship" and then divide into smaller groups that sail out on tiny skiffs. Using potent weapons such as AK-47s and hand-propelled grenades, Somali pirates attack civilian ships carrying cargo through the Gulf of Aden, a body of water between Yemen and Somalia. Once they have overtaken the victim vessel, the pirates typically hijack the vessel's cargo and kidnap the crewmembers. The cargo is often resold to willing buyers or held for ransom. The crew are kept hostage in Somalia until either …

On The Right To External Self-Determination: "Selfistans," Secession, And The Great Powers' Rule, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article discusses, in Part II, the notion of self-determination, its history, and its recent applications. In Part III, this Article describes how the theory of self-determination is linked to other international law concepts, such as statehood, recognition, sovereignty, and intervention. Part IV focuses on several case studies to illustrate the discrepancy of results attached to the self-determination struggles by different peoples.

This Article describes the self-determination quests of East Timor, Kosovo, Chechnya, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia, and will show that while the first two entities achieved external self-determination, the latter three did not. Finally, Part V of this Article …

Space Tourism And Export Controls: A Prayer For Relief, Mark J. Sundahl

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The recent emergence of the commercial human spaceflight industry is a transformative moment in the history of mankind. Multiple space tourism companies are planning to send private passengers on suborbital flights in the coming years, private spaceports are being built around the world, and at least one company, Bigelow Aerospace, is planning to build private space stations. Moreover, the new U.S. Space Policy recently announced by the Obama administration promises to accelerate the development of the spaceflight industry by relying on private companies to meet governmental needs, such as ferrying goods and people to the International Space Station.

This article …

The Gaza Strip: Israel, Its Foreign Policy, And The Goldstone Report, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

At the end of 2008, Israel launched a three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip (Operation Cast Lead), during which Israel carried out over 2,360 air strikes and numerous ground assaults over Gaza, causing the death of approximately 1,300 Palestinians, and wounding over 5,000 individuals. The Gaza conflict sparked numerous allegations of war crimes and international humanitarian law violations by both Israel and Hamas. Thus, the Human Rights Council (HRC) appointed a U.N. Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (Goldstone Mission) led by prominent international jurist Richard Goldstone. The Goldstone Mission issued the Goldstone Report in September 2009, concluding …

Fighting Piracy In Somalia (And Elsewhere): Why More Is Needed, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article argues that pirates should be treated as terrorists and that piracy-fighting countries should rely on a variety of antiterrorist conventions to justify the capture and prosecution of pirates. Piracy resembles terrorism in many aspects, on both a theoretical and practical level, and reliance on antiterrorist conventions by piracy-fighting countries will provide these countries with greater legal tools to battle pirates within an established international legal framework. To provide a comprehensive outlook on piracy, Part I of this Article describes the history of piracy and its reappearance in the modern world. Part II briefly describes the resurgence of modern-day …