Law Commons^™

Prosecuting And Defending Violations Of Genocide And Humanitarian Law: The International Tribunal For The Former Yugoslavia, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

A symposium discussing the international war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, established by the United Nations Security Council’s . Christopher L. Blakesley discussed the procedural aspects of the War Crimes Tribunal.

State Support Of International Terrorism: Legal, Political And Economic Dimensions, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

In this piece, Professor Blakesley reviews “State Support of International Terrorism: Legal, Political, and Economic Dimensions” by John F. Murphy.

The Need For An International Criminal Court In The New International World Order, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

Any inquiry into the merits of an international criminal court must start with resolving three basic issues:

1. Can the tribunal improve international cooperation in law enforcement, add to the capabilities of the various nations in matters of international criminal law, or contribute in any incremental way to the solution of international and transnational criminal law problems by improving the current practice and enhancing the effectiveness of all concerned?

2. Will the recommended system have a better or equal chance of operating as effectively as the best existing systems of national criminal justice?

3. Will the recommended system improve efficiency …

Can International Law Provide Extra-Constitutional Protection For Excludable Aliens?, Louis B. Sohn

Scholarly Works

This paper focuses on the problems of those who do not qualify for a regular admission as refugees, but are detained at the entrance point, or are detained in the United States after being released on temporary parole or pending repatriation. The thesis I shall try to defend is that these persons must be treated according to basic rules of humanitarian law; that they are entitled to be treated as human beings, regardless of any particular legislation or administrative regulations depriving them of basic legal protection granted to citizens and regular residents of the country.

Finding Harmony Amidst Disagreement Over Extradition, Jurisdiction, The Role Of Human Rights, And Issues Of Extraterritoriality Under International Criminal Law, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

This Article examines extradition and jurisdiction over extraterritorial crime, focusing on the relationship between jurisdiction and extradition in the broader context of human rights law. The authors challenge what they argue are chimerical, although strongly held beliefs in the incompatibility of European and United States criminal justice systems and extradition practices. They argue that cooperation in matters of international criminal law may be enhanced, while protection of human rights is promoted. The authors establish this possibility by breaking down the barriers to understanding that stem from the divergent European versus Anglo-American modes of analysis.

The authors first analyze the five …

Roundtable: The United States Constitution And The Adoption Of International Human Rights Instruments: Freeing The Political Logjam: Keynote Address: Proposals For The Future, Louis B. Sohn

Scholarly Works

As it has already been mentioned today, we are living in a rather exciting time as far as human rights are concerned. Since 1917, we have lived under both the shadow of the Soviet Revolution and the threat of Communism becoming the great idea of the future. We know now that this did not come to pass, and that communism has proved to be unable to assert is superiority over other existing political systems. A chance and opportunity now exists for the United States to show that it can do better, that its goal is not to take over the …

Major Contemporary Issues In Extradition Law, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

In this piece Professor Blakesley provides remarks on high crimes in international law, and the ability to extradite state and high government officials for committing them.

The Modern Blood Feud: Thoughts On The Philosophy Of Terrorism, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

Herman Melville brilliantly lets us feel, through Captain Ahab, the sensation of destructive rage, hatred and violence. Sadly, Melville's insight penetrates to the core of society, perhaps of each of us, in today's omnipresent terroristic melodrama. We have all suffered moments of vicarious terror and rage over the past few years as we watched news accounts of terrorist incidents, such as the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The melodrama of terrorism has penetrated each of our lives. We see it and feel the rage nearly on a daily basis. Innocent children, women and men aboard Pan …

Terrorism, Law, And Our Constitutional Order, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

We have all suffered moments of vicarious terror over the past few years as we watched news accounts of terrorist incidents, such as the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. There, some institution, government, or group used innocent children, women, and men as fodder for their “war.” Some have claimed that the pusillanimous carnage was in retaliation for the slaughter of equivalent innocents aboard the Iranian Air Bus, similarly destroyed by American forces during the summer of 1988. Others suggested that it was committed by those interested in thwarting prospects of peace in the Middle East.

Combatting …

Jurisdiction As Legal Protection Against Terrorism, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

On June 14, 1985, Robert Stethem was shot to death aboard a hijacked TWA airliner. On October 7, 1985, the Italian cruise-liner, Achille Lauro, was hijacked and the next day Leon Klinghofer was killed and thrown overboard. On Julyu 2, 1986, Rodrgio Rojas was mortally wounded when he was doused with gasoline and set afire while walking with protesters in Santiago, Chile. Soviets are said to leave booby-trapped dolls for Afghan Moujahadeen children. There is evidence that the United States government directly supports the Nicaraguan contras who, in waging their guerilla war, allegedly have killed innocent citizens. It is …

The Evisceration Of The Political Offense Exception To Extradition, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

The Supplementary Convention to the Extradition Treaty between the Government of the United States of American and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was signed on June 25, 1985, and transmitted to the U.S. Senate on July 17, 1985. This article will focus on the portion of the supplementary treaty which effectively eliminates the political offense exception, and on the statement made by the Legal Adviser to the Department of State, the honorable Judge Abraham D. Sofaer, made in favor of the Supplementary Treaty, on August 1, 1985. This article suggests that approval of …

An Essay On Executive Branch Attempts To Eviscerate The Separation Of Powers, Christopher L. Blakesley

Scholarly Works

The Reagan Administration has been aggressively attempting to arrogate power to the Executive branch and to undermine the separation of powers in the realms of foreign affairs. To Chain the Dog of War shows that for decades the Executive branch has moved to appropriate Congress’ war powers. The Reagan Administration not only has continued that tradition, but also has attempted to erode the Judiciary’s power to decide questions of law and fact concerning human rights and liberty in international extradition cases involving political offenses. The underlying rationale for this shift has been that decisions to make war or to condemn …

Gradations Of Intervention In Internal Conflicts, Louis B. Sohn

Scholarly Works

I promised to suggest a definition. It is a very modest one, simply trying to apply the language of article 51 of the Charter about self-defense to the problem of military intervention. It might be desirable to have at least a rule which would say: "No military invention by one state in the internal armed conflicts in another state is permissible except in an extreme emergency requiring instant response and subject to imimediate termination of such emergency action on the request of the United Nations or an appropriate regional organization."

Introduction To Panel I, Gabriel M. Wilner

Scholarly Works

The work of this panel is to sort out the theories and arguments on the obligations of individual states, as distinguished from the international or regional community of states acting under the rules of an international organization, in dealing with internal conflicts in other states. Are states assisted in determining their obligations by existing standards of international law? The panel will wish to address itself to the central question of the content of international law standards on intervention. In doing so it may also wish to offer some definition of "internal conflict" and discuss the ramifications of the passage from …

Introduction To Panel Iii: Regional And Other International Organizations Responses To Internal Conflict, Louis B. Sohn

Scholarly Works

The United Nations has been trying to do three different things. First, the United Nations had to develop the basic principles of intervention. Most of them were borrowed from the Charter of the Organization of American States, especially those on intervention, but they went much further concerning the limitations on help to guerrillas and the problems of interference by various means. The United Nations Declaration on Friendly Relations, the Declaration on Inadmissibility of Intervention, and several other documents have been broadening or clarifying the law on the subject over the last 20 years. Second, as noted previously, the United Nations …

A Message Of Hope, Dean Rusk

Scholarly Works

So I would hope, based upon the extraordinarily interesting discussion that we have had here during this Colloquium, that we try to follow it up a bit and not be too discouraged about the modesty of certain things that might be done, but see if we cannot find some way to encapsulate, surround, isolate these internal violence situations so that they do not contribute to those great struggles which could end us all.

Ironies Of Intervention, Milner S. Ball

Scholarly Works

I have detected in our deliberations this afternoon two ironies. The first is this: the dissentient receive more protection as enemies than as citizens. As we have heard today, there is greater opportunity for the assimilation of humanitarian law if the sides engaged in internal conflict are regarded as combatants and not as fellow citizens. With the application of the law of armed conflict comes the prospect that the opponents may observe some degree of mutual respect. Such dignity as the law accords thus becomes a function of formalized hostility rather than of civil affection, of open distrust rather than …