Have very much enjoyed this @verfassungsblog.de series of blogs on 'Reflexive Globalisation and the Law', edited by Philipp Dann, Florian Jeßberger, and @kalikamehta.bsky.social.
Some really thought-provoking pieces challenging monodirectional conceptions of global flows in legal thought.
Quote: the critique of international criminal law as “Eurocentric” or “Western-dominated,” however historically, politically, and analytically valid and necessary, may have reached the limits of its explanatory power.
International Criminal Law of “the West”?
The International Criminal Court has long been accused of double standards.
This critique is valid – and yet, focusing on the ICC as a “Western tool” carries its own risks, writes KALIKA MEHTA (@kalikamehta.bsky.social).
verfassungsblog.de/internationa...
great discussion on postcolonial theory, global history and reflexive globalisation at the launch of RefLex 👏@humboldtuni.bsky.social @kalikamehta.bsky.social
“What was striking, however, was that throughout the hearings—a space so steeped in feminist praxis, solidarity, and scholarship—the word ‘feminism’ was rarely uttered. Yet, its absence only underscored its presence” @kalikamehta.bsky.social on People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan
@kalikamehta.bsky.social & I have been working together on mass starvation in Bengal, 1943 in the context of international criminal law. Here, we share observations on the persistence of mass starvation as an under prosecuted war crime in the context of colonial violence, then & now: aje.io/ja36qg
Cover of the Verfassungsbook "The 2024 ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territory", edited by Kai Ambos.
📚 Out Now! 📚
Our latest Verfassungsbook, "The 2024 ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territory", edited by KAI AMBOS is now available.
As always, Open Access! 🔓📖
You can find the edited volume here:
👉 verfassungsblog.de/books/
Screenshot with text: "When pressure mounted and Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, intervened, the president of Freie University caved in. President Ziegler cancelled the in-person event and justified this decision with the “present polarization and unpredictable security situation.” Upholding academic freedom only in words, not deeds, he offered the organizers could hold an online event. Where is our outcry? Some of you have expressed regret about the violation of academic freedom that this incident entails. I thank you for that. Yet, I also have some questions. Why do you feel the need for public caveats, or for critique of the title and concept of the event with Francesca Albanese and Eyal Weizman “Conditions of Life Calculated to Destroy. Legal and Forensic Perspectives on the Ongoing Gaza Genocide” organized by four colleagues – not from international law but from FU’s faculty of philosophy? You “would have preferred a conception of the event which would not have anticipated the outcome of a debate in the title.” I understand that you might have done things differently; but is a statement so urgently needed to defend academic freedom really the right place for quarrels with colleagues about the design of an academic event?"
"The mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 is to “investigate Israel’s violations of the principles and bases of international law, international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967”. This has been the case since the position was created in 1993. Francesca Albanese, in her work, has come to the conclusion that Israel commits genocide against the Palestinians. As international lawyers, we should welcome her to explain her findings. We should listen to her. Then we can ask questions and have a conversation. But we should not try to achieve some “fair balance” by inviting also “the other side.” Do we really want to turn our university debates into yet another mediocre talk show format?"
"I would like to invite you to watch the conversation with Albanese that the LMU’s Decolonial Practices Group was not allowed to hold at LMU and therefore livestreamed and recorded from another venue. Throughout the conversation, she reminded listeners of Germans’ and Europeans’ responsibility for the Holocaust and other genocides. This responsibility is what motivates and drives her work. She also reminded her audience of the fact that extermination of Jewish life in Germany was not limited to concentration camps and that Jews, even after the war, continued to face severe discrimination and antisemitism in Germany, but also other parts of Europe and the United States (I highly recommend The Brutalist on that latter point). She clearly denounces all violence against civilians. Seldom have I listened to an international lawyer talking with such intelligence and wit, with such ability to explain complex matters in an accessible way, with nuanced judgment, introspection, a willingness to learn and listen, fearlessness and dedication to justice – not just for Palestinians but for all who are victims of oppression."
Must-read for anyone considering attending ESIL this year at FU Berlin👇
"International Law is being dismantled before our eyes, [...] Let us put aside, for a moment, the unfinished writings and applications and make sure that Francesca Albanese is allowed to speak in Germany!"
Much of the last few months have been spent writing and revising this paper. Suddenly it all seemed worth it to see it on an LLM syllabus at UCL, even before we'd got around to doing the obligatory shouting and tweeting about it.
academic.oup.com/jicj/article...
if you are to celebrate the ceasefire, donate the money you were planning to spend on your cocktail or wine bottle to the children in Gaza www.savethechildren.net/donate/child...
Microsoft PowerPoint has a free template for in-class use called "Make Your Own Colony." Students decide which resources to extract, how to accumulate capital and differentiate society.
Literally made a bsky account to share this, go off!
