Showing posts with label International Law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International Law. Show all posts
Friday, January 8, 2010
Video: Japanese Whaler Intentionally Rams/Sinks Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Vessel Ady Gil
Watch as a Japanese whaling ship intentionally rammed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's vessel Ady Gil on January 06 2010.The Japanese are claiming that the Ady Gil was responsible for the collision that sank it...
I don't think so!
More information on the incident and aftermath here
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Monday, June 29, 2009
C'mon Honduras! Coups are Sooooo 20th Century! "The return of the coup", Foreign Policy Magzine
The return of the coupComplete, with links, at FP Passport
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 12:21pm
The Wall Street Journal's Mary O'Grady argues that the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was not in fact a coup, since the president was himself holding a referendum in violation of an order by the country's supreme court. But I don't think one need defend Zelaya to argue that sending troops to break into a president's house and put him on a plane out of the country is generally not the best way to protect "the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators."
If this weekend's coup seems like a bit of a throwback to the Cold War era, that's because it is...
Not A Photoshop Job... Just A Blatant Forgery - Honduran President Zelaya's "Resignation Letter"
Meanwhile, "Honduras's New Government Vows to Maintain Power" taken illegitimately in a coup led by "School Of The Americas" 'graduate' General Romeo Vasquez even as a "Resolution from the OAS Diplomatically Isolates Honduran Leaders"One day after the country’s president, Manuel Zelaya, was abruptly awakened, ousted and deported by the army here, hundreds of protesters massed at the presidential offices in an increasingly tense face-off with hundreds of camouflage-clad soldiers carrying riot shields and automatic weapons.
The protesters, many wearing masks and carrying wooden or metal sticks, yelled taunts at the soldiers across the fences ringing the compound and braced for the army to try to dispel them.One Honduran had this to say about it:
“We’re defending our president,” said one protester, Umberto Guebara, who appeared to be in his 30s. “I’m not afraid. I’d give my life for my country.”
The usual suspect in South of the border coups... The US government is being umm... circumlocutory:
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the last senior member of the administration to visit Honduras, just three weeks ago, said that the United States was working toward “full restoration of democratic order (emphasis on 'Weasel words' mine) in Honduras.”
She said that the situation in Honduras “has evolved into a coup.” But when pressed by a reporter, she refused to say explicitly that the United States was demanding that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power, [In full, Protesters Confront Soldiers After Coup in Honduras (NYTimes)]
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Gaza Relief Ship Damaged In 'Encounter' (If That's What Being Repeatedly Rammed Is Called Now) With Israeli Military Vessel - CNN.com
(CNN) -- An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said.
CNN Correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot, Gibraltar-registered pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed.
The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists, including former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.
The captain of the Dignity said the Israelis broadcast a radio message accusing the vessel of being involved in terrorist activity. But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied that and said the radio message simply warned the vessel not to proceed to Gaza because it is a closed military area.
Palmor said there was no response to the radio message, and the vessel then tried to out-maneuver the Israeli patrol boat, leading to the collision.
Penhaul said at least two Israeli patrol boats had shadowed the Dignity for about half an hour before the collision, moving around the vessel on all sides. One of the patrol boats then shined its spotlight on the Dignity while the other, with its lights off, "very severely rammed" the boat.
The captain of the Dignity told Penhaul he received no prior warning. Only after the collision did the Israelis come on the radio to say they struck the boat because they believed it was involved in terrorist activities. VideoWatch the chaos in Gaza and Israel »
The captain and crew said their vessel was struck intentionally, Penhaul said, but Palmor called those allegations "absurd."
"There is no intention on the part of the Israeli navy to ram anybody," Palmor said.
"I would call it ramming. Let's just call it as it is," McKinney said. "Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side."
In Full @ CNN
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Monday, May 19, 2008
International Law Portfolio - He "Looked Into It"... Quote of the day From Colombia's Defense Minister
Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos was asked yesterday exactly why 60 of his soldiers crossed the border into Venezuela over the weekend:“I looked into it and they were not doing anything”
H/T to Great Moments in Investigating (BoRev.Net)
Monday, March 31, 2008
How to Start Your Own Country in Four Easy Steps - Foreign Policy Magazine
"The United States has no official policy on what is required for recognition, according to its State Department. Instead, the decision to recognize a state is made by the president. Then the president decides whether to establish diplomatic relations with the state based on U.S. national interests. There’s no cookie-cutter approach, so when you ask for recognition, be sure to explain how your independence will be good for America. In the old days, proving your anti-communist cred was usually good enough. Today, U.S. strategic priorities are a bit more complex, though as Kosovo proves, ticking off the Russians still helps."With Kosovo unilaterally declaring independence and a host of wannabe states looking to follow its lead, you might be thinking it’s about time to set up your own country.
You’ve picked out a flag, written a national anthem, even printed up money with your face on it. But what’s the next step?
Creating a new country isn’t as easy as you think.
Step 1: Make sure you are eligible
As tempting as it might be to declare your cubicle a sovereign state, customary international law actually does specify minimum standards for statehood.
- You must have a defined territory.
- You must have a permanent population.
- You must have a government.
- Your government must be capable of interacting with other states. (This one is somewhat controversial. It was included as a qualification in the 1933 Montevideo Convention, which established the United States’ “good neighbor” policy of nonintervention in Latin America, but is generally not recognized as international law.)
Step 2: Declare independence
However, now that your state is established, there are certain benefits you can expect, even if you’re not recognized by anyone. “Once an entity has established itself as a de facto state, it will benefit from territorial integrity and certain guarantees of sovereignty,” says Stefan Talmon, professor of public international law at Oxford University and author of Recognition in International Law. “For instance, now that Kosovo is established as a state, Serbia can no longer freely attack it...
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