War v. Justice: Part I

This is part one in a series dealing with questions of constitutional and international justice as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq through a case study of Omar Khadr, an enemy combatant currently in US custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Part I: Introduction The last ten years have raised many important questions not only regarding the legal rules of war, but the application of law and justice at home, too. There are many reasons for this. When you think about it, there are no mor...

A little carried away? Perhaps.

My thoughts on the recent AIU Lecture Symposium and another uneventful night of studying for exams has resulted in a fun (that's debatable) mini-project as I ended up creating my own mock Security Council resolution referring Israel and Palestinian Human Rights violations to the International Criminal Court. Why? Well, first of all I have a feeling I will have to explain how Israel and the PA may be held accountable for violations of international law on my upcoming exam. Secondly, ...

West Bank student’s deportation upheld

BBC News - West Bank student Berlanty Azzim's deportation upheld Berlanty has a Gaza ID card. She went to the West Bank under a visitors permit but instead stayed for four years to study Business Management - which she would be finishing this coming month. At the end of October, she was stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, detained for six hours, then blindfolded, handcuffed and told she would be taken to a detention centre in the southern West Bank. When her blindfold was removed hours l...

Looking back on the AIU Symposium

Again, great thanks to Saul Takahashi for taking the time to conference with us last night and for helping shed some light on the real situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Some points from the discussion: UN security agenda has proven itself a tool of most-powerful nations UN's actions have been not to stop Human Rights violations, but to establish accountability following conflict resolutions through Tribunals, the ICC, etc. With Palestine there has been no movement...

Breno’s COP15 submission

The request is to Raise Your Voice and be part of COP15 to contribute to a meaningful discussion about our world’s future. The most popular video submissions are to be aired globally during the COP15 CNN YouTube debate on December 15, and the top two submissions will win a trip to Copenhagen. With only 14 days left and little positive news from world leaders, we have to do our best to not only spread awareness but to encourage all global citizens to raise their voices and tell world l...

EVENT: AIU Lecture Symposium 2009

For those of you in Japan on December 3, 2009, my International Institutions and Law class will be hosting a lecture and discussion regarding Human Rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Lecture Symposium will run for an hour and a half, and will be an excellent opportunity to learn about a conflict situation that has continued to plague the middle east for over fifty years. We will be joined by Saul Takahashi, Deputy Head of Office of the United Nations Office of t...

How do you foster a political consciousness?

I have been spending hours planning out and brainstorming for a video contest project I wanted to kick off here at my exchange university, Akita International University. I have the OK from the university administration, backing from my professors, and I know I can rely on the support of the many school clubs and associations for help in advertisement, judging, etc. However, my excitement was quickly destroyed this evening with one simple comment. By chance, I brought up my plans with a frien...