Maryam Jamshidi reflects on the U.S. government’s latest attack on the UN through its sanctioning of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, and argues that the sanctions violate international treaties on immunities and should be challenged in U.S. courts.
Category Archive: TWAILR: Reflections
Maryam Jamshidi refutes the US government’s newfangled claim that UNRWA is not entitled to immunity from suit under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
Jasmin Lilian Diab delves into the deceptive use of the term ‘evacuation’ in modern warfare, where it often masks forced displacement and population expulsion. Highlighting the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict as a prime example, the author argues that this language manipulation not only distorts the truth but also shields perpetrators from accountability for war crimes and human rights abuses.
Lys Kulamadayil reflects on the concept of starvation in international law, and argues that contemporary understandings have been distorted by the classification of “famine” in purely technical terms, obscuring the intentional use of starvation as a tactic of war, erasure and genocide.
Obiora Chinedu Okafor discute el futuro de la solidaridad internacional en la protección de refugiados. Argumenta que el desarrollo de la protección de refugiados probablemente no siga un camino lineal, sino que involucrará una serie de corrientes contradictorias. El autor predice que habrá tanto aspectos positivos como negativos en este desarrollo, pero en general tendrá efectos significativos en la vida de millones de personas, particularmente en el Sur Global, que buscan refugio desesperadamente.
Kalika Mehta explores the limitations of international law in addressing corporate atrocities. The author argues for a strategic approach to international criminal law that challenges systemic biases and promotes justice for marginalized communities.
This book review by Malini Chidambaram dives into Joel Bakan’s critique of modern corporations, especially those that cloak themselves in social responsibility.
Sumedha Choudhury delves into the nuanced history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its impact on minority rights. The author argues how minority oppression is not an aberration but rather a by-product of international law.
Abdelghany Sayed examines how the International Criminal Court has abandoned its own sequenced approach of prioritizing cases according to their gravity — instead deeming cases against ‘both sides’ in the situation in Palestine equally grave, despite quantitative and qualitative assessments showing otherwise.
Khirad Siddiqui delves into the connection between the carceral state and global feminism, questioning the notion of a universal sisterhood and challenging interventionist strategies disguised as “saving women.” Through the lens of Qandeel Baloch’s killing, the author advocates for an abolitionist feminist approach.