Reverse Westsplaining:

The war really turns on “we” in the West and whether we have the guts to back Ukraine to the hilt. Ukraine has agency only to do right and win; it can’t possibly make bad choices or be unable to achieve any goals (unless betrayed by the West).

We had a stellar panel of lecturers, including Larissa vd Herik, Mary Ellen O'Connell, Ihor Zeman, Aarif Abraham, Latif Hüseynov, Kateryna Busol, and the keynote lecture delivered by Ganna Yudkivska.

Some are urging ECOWAS to use force in Niger, citing The Gambia 2016. ECOWAS never fought in Gambia … Senegalese troops crossed the border but never engaged. ECOWAS has peaceful means available that comply with international law. Military intervention doesn't #NigerCoup

Excellent Background Briefing w/ Ian Masters intv re Ukraine war and third world responses with Mary Ellen O'Connell

on.soundcloud.com/JHYNx1hRCpDW99…

I often tell my own students that if they care about climate and/or the environment, the most relevant part of IL for them is Art. 2(4) UN Charter, and I am 100% serious.

Congrats to Charlie Savage The New York Times re foia request to get Biden's 'rules' and policy on targeted killings. nytimes.com/2023/07/01/us/…

But why not get international law assessments from experts without U.S. exec branch ties? E.g., Tom Ruys Olivier Corten

Prof Thomas Buergenthal passed away at the age of 89. As a child, he survived Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen and a death march in between, to become a leading international human rights lawyer, an IACtHR & ICJ judge. His memoir A Lucky Child is a must-read. RIP. dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mia…

Lotfi Hassan Misto, 56, whose family identified him as the victim of a Hellfire missile attack on May 3, was a former bricklayer …according to interviews with his brother, son and six others who knew him. They described a kind, hard-working man whose “whole life was spent poor.”

More emphasis is needed on helping to strengthen Ukraine's courts; less on ad hoc criminal tribunals
Carlotta Gall @eurojust Justice Department

nytimes.com/2023/05/18/wor…

Join us!

At the very time comparison is underway of the unlawful invasion of Iraq 2003 Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the U.S. launches unlawful retaliatory strikes in Syria. #ukraine #Iraq20YearsOn

Lesson of the Iraq War: Hold governments to authentic law against the use of force: Perspectives on war 20 years later news.nd.edu/news/the-invas…

Fascinating piece by Mary Ellen O'Connell

“The law against war must prevail as the imperative lesson of Russia’s war on Ukraine,” Notre Dame Law Professor Mary Ellen O'Connell said.

Our 2022 top 20 most read posts list features Rebecca Barber, Ralph Janik, Ilya Nuzov, Sergey Vasiliev, Devika Hovell, Patryk I Labuda, Dr Melanie O'Brien, Noelle Quenivet, Alexander Wentker, Nico Krisch, and Mary Ellen O'Connell, among others!

💡 Also Mary Ellen O'Connell Mary Ellen O'Connell will join REAIMsummit.

Find out more about the 35+ breakout sessions in our newsletter:

➡️ linkedin.com/newsletters/re…

An accidental use of force indeed does not amount to an 'armed attack' in the sense of Art. 51 UN Charter or Art. 5 NATO. (note: those keen on arguing otherwise may be wise to recall the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO in 1999)

Twenty Years of Drone Attacks | by Mary Ellen O'Connell

ejiltalk.org/?p=21537

2 Nov 22 marks 20 years of U.S. targeted killings with drones. Results: Al Qaeda & its progeny still with us; the prohibition on the use of force in tatters...
Drone Wars
latimes.com/archives/la-xp…

Teach international law!