Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent decision to revoke the plea agreements for three defendants in the 9/11 case at Guantanamo, including alleged mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), was at once shocking and predictable: shocking that the Defense Secretary would step in deus ex machina at the eleventh hour to scuttle a deal negotiated by the [...]

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The Supreme Court of India’s 2018 judgment in K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India was a watershed moment in India’s constitutional history. It recognized the right to privacy as an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. This was a significant shift, given that [...]

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The recent decision by Italy’s Court of Cassation (Corte di Cassazione) in case number 27115/2024 has sparked numerous reactions due to its consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential extenuating circumstance in a femicide case. This crime, which garnered significant media attention in Italian society, involved a perpetrator who was initially sentenced to life [...]

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Far-right movements gaining popularity in many European countries are primarily anti-immigrant and anti-Islam. This study examines Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a far-right political party in Germany. Founded in 2013, the party launched the AfD manifesto, a public document approved at its Federal Party Congress held in Stuttgart from April 30 to May 1 2016. Presently, [...]

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The ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia have laid bare the country’s deep-seated divisions and the devastating toll of unchecked violence on civilian populations. From the Tigray region to the Amhara and Oromia areas, the people of Ethiopia have endured unimaginable suffering, with atrocities committed by all sides in flagrant violation of international law. At the heart of this [...]

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Credo quia absurdum, “I believe because it is absurd.” Tertullian For conspicuous reasons, the likelihood of direct war between Israel and Iran is increasingly “high.”  What remains inconspicuous is that such a war could quickly or incrementally involve North Korean military assets. Even if Israel were able to keep Iran pre-nuclear, an already nuclear North [...]

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©VOA, Public Domain

On Tuesday, the Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MFA) announced a decision to sever ties with its diplomatic missions in several European countries and Australia. This unprecedented move marks a pivotal moment in Afghanistan’s contemporary diplomatic history and presents significant implications for the nation’s position within the global community. However, it appears that [...]

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Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust

Known for his pivotal role in international election monitoring, constitutional reform, and efforts to resolve Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, Tiruchelvam’s legacy continues to inspire. His tragic death on July 29th, 1999, a consequence of his dedication to democratic solutions, marked a significant loss to the pursuit of justice and inclusivity. This article celebrates his enduring [...]

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“An intentional act of injustice is an injury. A Nation has therefore the right to punish it…. This right to resist injustice is derived from the right of self-protection.” Emmerich de Vattel, The Law of Nations or the Principles of Natural Law 1758) Israel’s law-based conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas terrorism is grounded in the [...]

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