Thema: Völkerrecht

Verfassungsrechtliche Aspekte des Völkerrechts, einschließlich der Integration völkerrechtlicher Normen in nationale Verfassungsordnungen, Vertragsabschlussbefugnisse, völkerrechtliche Verpflichtungen und verfassungsrechtliche Grenzen internationaler Bindungen. Umfasst die Schnittstelle zwischen nationalem Verfassungsrecht und völkerrechtlichen Verpflichtungen.

Whispers of Change (Vol. II)

Mexico’s prolonged refusal to eliminate mandatory preventive detention from its legal system has slowly but steadily contributed to the rising tension between the Mexican Supreme Court, the Mexican State, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Following both Courts’ recent decisions on the case of García Rodríguez y Alpízar Ortíz v. México (both have recently decided cases concerning virtually the same set of facts with notoriously varying outcomes), the discussion heats as it now relates to one of the most relevant inquiries of modern constitutional study: judicial review of constitutional provisions and amendments.

18. April 2023

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Taiwan and the Myth of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758

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At the United Nations (UN) press briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on 27 March 2023, critical and long-overdue questions resurfaced. With the Secretary General portrayed as a champion for democratic values, why has the UN shut the door on Taiwan, the most democratic country in Asia? Why are citizens of Taiwan not even allowed to enter the premises of the United Nations? Questions as such touch upon the scope and application of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, and the implications of China’s persistent strategy to inflate and distort it.

14. April 2023

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A Glimpse into More Equitable International Governance

On March 29, the United Nations General Assembly passed a landmark resolution asking the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on state obligations relating to climate change and the consequences of breaching them under several sources of international law, including the UN Charter, human rights treaties, and international customary law. The import of both the request and the opinion, however, is not just about Earth’s climate system and the extent of state obligations for protecting it; it is also about the potential for more equitable, just, and effective international governance.

13. April 2023

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In Jerusalem my Heart wanted to Scream out: »I am Polin, too« …

I went to Israel at a moment’s notice to share the lessons and cautionary tales of anti-constitutional capture in Poland and to explain the mechanics behind systemic and legalistic dismantling of the liberal foundations of the legal order. However, during my stay in Israel, I realized that as much the Israelis wanted to learn from me, they might as well teach Poles crucial lessons, not less these of civic engagement and mobilization.

5. April 2023

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Humanizing Warfare as a Project of Power Politics and Colonial Exclusion

The myth of the Geneva Conventions as a liberal, inclusive project has been thoroughly deconstructed. Two recent books, Boyd van Dijk's "Preparing for War. The Making of the Geneva Conventions" and Hugo Slim's "Solferino 21. Warfare, Civilians and Humanitarians in the Twenty-First Century" delve into the history of the humanitarian project and shed light on its imperial and postcolonial contexts. A review essay.

5. April 2023

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Der Gesetzgeber ist zu weit gegangen

Am 29. März 2023, veröffentlichte das Bundesverfassungsgericht seine lang erwartete Entscheidung zum Gesetz zur Bekämpfung von Kinderehen. Kritiker des Gesetzes werden sich durch die Entscheidung bestätigt sehen, wenn auch nicht vollständig. Denn während das Gericht die Rechtsfolgen kritisiert, bestätigt es im Wesentlichen die Statusentscheidung des Gesetzgebers, Kinderehen, die vor dem sechzehnten Lebensjahr geschlossen wurden, für unwirksam zu erklären.

3. April 2023

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Good Things Take Human Rights

Die Tötung von Luisa aus Freudenberg am 11. März durch zwei geständige Freundinnen im Alter von 12 und 13 Jahren hat zu Forderungen aus der Politik geführt, das Mindestalter strafrechtlicher Verantwortlichkeit herabzusetzen. Seitdem berichten verschiedene Medien verstärkt über Straftaten, insbesondere Gewaltdelikte, minderjähriger Täter*innen. Es ist also mit einer Rückkehr dieses Themas in die Diskussion zu rechnen. Wäre die Herabsetzung der Strafmündigkeit überhaupt mit den internationalen Verpflichtungen Deutschlands, insbesondere aus dem UN-Übereinkommen über die Rechte des Kindes (CRC), vereinbar?

31. März 2023

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The Battle Over the Populist Constitutional Coup in Israel

On the night of March 26, 2023, the battle over the constitutional overhaul planned by Israel’s Netanyahu government reached an apex moment. Much uncertainty lies ahead. What is clear is that a combination of massive protests, pressure by significant groups in Israeli society such as the tech industry and elite military reservists, and American pressure forced Netanyahu to suspend the legislative process. Whether this development will lead to the burial or the reemergence of the constitutional coup is yet to be seen. The road ahead is complicated, as rejection of the coalition’s plan, while seemingly a victory for the democracy movement, may also serve to feed the populist argument about elites.

31. März 2023

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A New York Moment for the Oceans to join the Paris Moment for the Climate?

The recently concluded Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction has been described as the 'New York Moment' for the oceans, to join the 'Paris Moment' for the climate. The Paris Agreement was considered to be such a moment, in part, because it constituted a significant paradigm shift in international environmental law, institutionally as well as substantively. The current draft of the BBNJ arguably contains a paradigm shift of comparable significance for the law of the sea in at least three respects.

23. März 2023

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Bemerkenswerte Haftbefehle aus Den Haag

Die Haftbefehle des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs in Den Haag vom Ende letzter Woche haben schnell die Runde gemacht und sind weltweit als Eilmeldung verbreitet worden. Auch in der deutschen Presselandschaft sind die Haftbefehle gegen den russischen Staatspräsidenten sowie seine Kinderrechtsbeauftragte bewertet worden. Einige bemerkenswerte Aspekte der Entscheidung, die bislang keine Aufmerksamkeit erfahren haben, sollen hier beleuchtet werden.

21. März 2023

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