Too often we tend to think that the Declaration of Independence was a creature which sprang to life between June 7, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced his resolution calling for independence and Mr. Jefferson’s magnum opus which was voted on three weeks later. History teaches that the march towards independence was a [...]

The recent federal district court ruling striking down the Trump administration’s executive order targeting the law firm Susman Godfrey is the fourth similar ruling in response to orders punishing firms that took on clients and causes adverse to Trump’s interests. Now, each of the four firms that chose to file challenges in court has prevailed, [...]

US-Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites raise serious questions of international law under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT, or Treaty). While these attacks may be evaluated under the UN Charter and other international treaties, customary laws, and principles, this commentary focuses on their implications for the NPT regime, which serves as a cornerstone of global [...]

On June 4, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, issued a statement that may seem, to external ears, like political posturing: “The United States and Israel can’t do a damn thing.” Yet within the constitutional framework of the Islamic Republic, such utterances do not function as rhetoric alone. They operate as binding pronouncements under the system [...]

The October 7 Hamas assault on Israel did not merely mark another round of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; rather, it triggered a deeper and more structural transformation in the security landscape of the Middle East. While the attack exposed tactical vulnerabilities within Israel’s internal security nodes, it simultaneously accelerated the erosion of Iran’s long-standing [...]

In today’s world, military power is no longer measured solely by missile blasts and the roar of fighter jets. Alongside every military strike runs a quieter yet far more influential battle: the war of narratives. In the latest conflict between Iran and Israel, missiles matter—but perhaps not as much as the stories told about them. [...]

Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned on being different from Donald Trump. Yet his government’s first major legislative act, Bill C-2—the so-called “Strong Borders Act”—represents nothing less than a shameful capitulation to Trumpian xenophobia that fundamentally betrays Canada’s legal and moral obligations to refugees and migrants. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who introduced this sweeping 127-page [...]

At a time when Western institutions continue to dominate the international legal stage, China has made a bold declaration of intent to offer an alternative narrative of global order by establishing a new mediation organization in Hong Kong. The International Organization for Mediation (IOMed)—with the participation of over 30 countries including Pakistan, Indonesia, Belarus, and [...]

The rise of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly those enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI), has redefined the landscape of modern armed conflict. Once limited to surveillance, UAVs are now critical tools for cross-border military operations and targeted killings. As of 2023, at least 19 states have conducted drone strikes, with many more acquiring the technology. [...]

In a unanimous decision in April, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit gave new life to a hard-fought effort by residents of St. James Parish in Louisiana to seek a moratorium on new petrochemical plant construction and expansion. This reversal of a lower court’s dismissal in 2024 marks a promising moment in [...]