Category Archives: Syria

Syria: Appeasement in Disguise?

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Mark Kersten

Andrew Jillions joins JiC for another thought-provoking guest post on responses to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. Enjoy! Kofi Annan was in New York yesterday to brief the Security Council on the mess that is Syria. But whatever (limited) … Continue reading →

Posted in Humanitarian Intervention, Justice, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Syria, Turkey, UN Security Council, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The ICC and the Security Council: Just Say No?

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Mark Kersten

Hilary Clinton recently suggested that Syrian President, Bashar Assad, fit the definition of a war criminal. Could the US be inching towards endorsing another UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court? Not so fast. Clinton added that, despite … Continue reading →

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, NATO, Peace Processes, Syria, UN Security Council | 10 Comments

Syria and the Arab Spring: International Criminal Law after a UN Veto

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Mark Kersten

JiC welcomes Peter Quayle, a solicitor specialising in public international law and litigation and the author of an excellent blog on international law. In this guest-post, Peter considers the international legal parameters in responding to the ongoing crisis in Syria. … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, International Criminal Court (ICC), Syria, UN Security Council | 2 Comments

Dithering over Damascus

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Mark Kersten

JiC welcomes Andrew Jillions back with this thought-provoking post on the recent inaction of the UN Security Council in the face of ongoing violence and human rights violations in Syria.  There’s no doubt that the Assad regime has been buoyed by … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Human Rights, Humanitarian Intervention, Peace Processes, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Russia, Syria, UN Security Council | 2 Comments

Pride and the Interventionist Itch: NATO in the Wake of Libya

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Mark Kersten

Pride is a tricky thing. We want to feel it but it doesn’t always manifest itself as a good trait. For this reason Alexander Pope once declared that pride is “the never-failing vice of fools”, while Saint Augustine wrote that … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, NATO, Responsibiltiy to Protect (R2P), Syria | 1 Comment

Propping up Tyrants: Selling to and Supporting Authoritarian Regimes

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Mark Kersten

Brittany Lyons joins us as a guest-poster to discuss the mixed signals sent by states like the US when they provide military support to authoritarian regimes but decry authoritarian tactics. An aspiring professor of psychology, Brittany is currently working “to … Continue reading →

Posted in al-Shabaab, Arms Deals, Arms Trade, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Middle East, Syria, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen | 1 Comment

Justice in Syria: Underground Funding of the ICC

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Mark Kersten

According to Borzou Daragahi of the LA Times, at least one unnamed Western government is funding a fact-finding operation in Syria in order to gather evidence which may eventually be used against Syrian President Bashar Assad in a case before the … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Human Rights, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC, Syria | 8 Comments

Buying Justice: The Supply, Demand and Cost of ICC Justice

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Mark Kersten

Imagine the following scenario: Assume that the people of Libya and Syria are all represented by one individual each who is charged with requesting that the human rights violations and atrocities in their respective nations are investigated by the ICC. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Funding, Human Rights, Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Sudan, Syria, Transitional Justice, UN Security Council, War crimes | Leave a comment

Before you go Supporting Exile for Gaddafi, Beware of What You Assume

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Mark Kersten

Each time a conflicted and fragile society resolves to confront a murderous, tyrannical or dictatorial ruler, a similar question inevitably surfaces: should the ruler and his cabal be allowed, or even encouraged, to go into exile? The logic in support … Continue reading →

Posted in Amnesty, Exile, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Yemen | 3 Comments

The Arab World and the ICC: A New Chapter or Smoke and Mirrors?

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Mark Kersten

To date, the most fascinating, dynamic and at times frustratingly contradictory relationship the ICC has had has been with the African Union (AU) and its member states. Today, however, the relationship which appears set to define the Court’s second decade … Continue reading →

Posted in African Union (AU), Arab League, Egypt, Human Rights, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Middle East, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Uganda, UN Security Council | 1 Comment