[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention, and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week]
News
"Saudi student Aldawsari convicted in failed bomb plot seeks new trial in Texas", Associated Press
The Associated Press reports that attorneys for Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, convicted in Texas last month of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, have field a request for a new trial in a federal court in Lubbock.
"Drone operations over Somalia pose danger to air traffic, U.N. report says", Craig Witlock
Writing for the Washington Post, Whitlock describes the skies over Somalia as so inundated with unmanned drones that the vehicles have come to pose a threat to air traffic. Whitlock also references a recent United Nations report that describes several near-disasters involving drones nearly crashing into a refugee camp, a fuel dump, and on one occasion even a passenger plane. While noting that some drones appear to be US manufactured, the report stops just short of blaming the incidents on the United States.
"Official Calls for Transfer of Khadr to Canada", Rebecca DiLeonardo
Jurist reports that the UN Secretary-General`s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Redhika Coomaraswamy has called for the transfer Omar Khadr, a Canadian currently held in Guantanamo Bay, to his home country of Canada, a move Coomaraswamy describes as key to the rehabilitation of child soldiers such as Khadr.
"Pakistan Ambassador to US slams drones", Associated Press
AP reports that, before an audience at the Aspen Security Forum, Pakistani Ambassador Sherry Rehman criticized the United States` drone attacks in Pakistan, arguing that while the attacks have damaged al-Qaeda they now run the risk of recruiting more new militants.
"Security Council emphasizes need for Israel and Lebanon to tackle outstanding issues", UN News Centre
A statement issued to the press by the UN Security Council praises the recent stability on the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, but calls for both parties to "move forward" towards a permanent ceasefire.
Blogs
"How to Count Armed Conflicts", Jens David Ohlin
As part of a discussion the claim in a recent lawsuit filed by the family of Al-Awlaki against Panetta et al. over targeted killings in Yemen, Ohlin takes interest in the suit`s claim that "at the time of [Al-Awlaki`s killing], the United States was not engaged in an armed conflict with or within Yemen". Ohlin leads into a commentary on what necessarily constitutes, legally, an "armed conflict", and how this affects Al-Awlaki`s case.
"Romney, Netanyahu and that other campaign — for war with Iran", Jeff Klein
Writing for MondoWeiss, Klein traces the close relationship between Binyamin Netanyahu and Mitt Romney, paying particular attention to their efforts to launch a largely successful divestment campaign against the government of Iran in 2007.
Commentary
"Afghans in Pakistan Face a Perilous Future", Sanaa Alimia
Alimia writes on al-Jazeera English of the deteriorating relations between Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Pakistani society at large, a collapse that mirrors the decline in state relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Also discussed are the issues surrounding the legal status and mistreatment at the hands of police of such Afghan refugees.
"Tweedle-Romney Accuses Tweedle-Obama of Harming Israel", Robert Dreyfuss
Robert Dreyfuss criticizes attempts of Romney supporters characterize the Obama Administration as hostile to Israel as "ridiculous" and claims the White House has engaged in a "craven capitulation to Israel" over the past four years in an op-ed for The Nation. "When it comes to Israel, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney may not exactly be Tweedledee and Tweedledum," writes Dreyfuss, "but they`re close."
"When the Government Kills", Los Angeles Times Editorial
The LA Times criticizes the United States` drone program as violating due process and allowing the President to serve as "judge, jury, and executioner of suspected terrorists". Praises the Al-Awlaki lawsuit for bringing to light to the constitutional issues behind the Obama Administration`s "targeted killings" policy.
Reports
"Borderline: The EU`s New Border Surveillance Initiatives", The Greens/European Free Alliance
The Heinrich Böll Foundation responds to the EUROSUR proposal in the EU Parliament and Council, which advocates deploying drones above the Mediterranean Sea to monitor illegal immigration, taking issue specifically with the program`s implications for "privacy and data protection".
"Rethinking the Tension between Peace and Justice: The International Criminal Prosecutor as Diplomat", Robert H. Mnookin & William Marra
Using a hypothetical involving the International Criminal Court striking a deal with an Afghani warlord to end civil war in the region, Mnookin and Marra explore how the Prosecutor for the ICC balances "considerations of peace and justice" when initiating a prosecution or deciding to do so.
Conference Compendium
"International Law Students Association Conference"; 30-31 July 2012; John Marshall Law School, Chicago; Register here.
"Stateless Law? The Future of the Discipline"; 28-29 September 2012; McGill University; Register here.
On Jadaliyya
"Campaign Against the Prawer Plan: Learn and Take Action", Adalah
"Palestinian Politics: Representation and Accountability", Noura Erakat
"The Unfinished Story of Iraq`s Oil Law: An Interview with Greg Muttitt", Ali Issa
"UN Committee Against Torture Releases List of Issues for Israel", Jadaliyya Reports
"Greater Israel Bus Connections & Across the Wall", Visualizing Palestine
"Al-Haq: Legal Memorandum on State Responsibility in Relation to Israels Illegal Settlement Enterprise", Jadaliyya Reports
"Beyond US Exceptionalism, Stephen Walt and America`s "Core Values", Ziad Abu-Rish
"Pro-Palestine Ads at Metro-North Stations Stir Controversy", Jadaliyya Reports
"Reflections on a Lifetime of Engagement with Zionism, the Palestine Question, and American Empire: An Interview with Noam Chomsky", Mouin Rabbani