Search Results for: universal jurisdiction

During the 1960s, the author spent four years studying international law at Princeton. At that time, the intellectual influence of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein was palpable on campus. Much of the earliest conceptual thought about nuclear weapons and nuclear war originated at Princeton. Here, Professor Beres examines what we can learn from these [...]

Attacks against national human rights institutions (NHRIs) weaken their ability to fulfill their mandates to protect human rights and hinder access to justice and accountability for all, UN experts warned Monday, noting an increase in reported attacks. The experts said, “NHRIs in compliance with the Paris Principles play a critical role in the promotion and protection of [...]

A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. —US President Donald Trump via social media Modern international justice is the product of lessons learned from civilizational destruction. And the language of civilizational destruction has a particular resonance in international law. It [...]

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in Barbara v. Trump, a case that could potentially redefine the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. The case involves a policy promulgated by an executive order from President Donald Trump. The policy was intended to restrict the citizenship of children who are US-born but [...]

Since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, world politics have been shaped by sovereignty-centered belligerence. When considered over time, especially as technologies of military destruction become more widespread and indiscriminate, this seventeenth-century system of competitive nationalism portends one overarching deficit: It is destined to fail. What should be done, especially by the world’s “superpowers” and [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC), established under the Rome Statute, has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, destruction of historic and religious monuments, and witness intimidation. It has prosecuted several individuals for these crimes, and in 2024, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the [...]

The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Wednesday in Trump v. Barbara. The Court will decide a case that reaches far beyond the usual debates over immigration policy. President Trump aims to withhold birthright citizenship from certain children born on US soil, based solely on their parents’ immigration status. Ultimately, the Court will [...]

A scientist, whether theorist or experimenter, puts forward statements or systems of statements, and tests them step by step. Karl R. Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1959) In the many-sided conflict now underway against Iran (i.e., simultaneous and complementary operations led by the United States and Israel), little concern has been expressed for a [...]

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report Friday detailing human rights violations committed by  the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during their final assault on the Sudanese city of El Fasher, which began on October 14, 2025. According to the report, atrocities committed during the RSF’s final assault [...]

A UN expert urged states to recognize hostage-taking as a crime against humanity on Thursday. The statement comes as a preparatory committee is drafting a treaty on crimes against humanity. The Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on states participating in the negotiations to include hostage-taking as a crime against humanity in the [...]