By Caleb Siebeneck.
Cambodia’s current de facto one-party state, marked by illegitimate elections, nepotism, and legal sanctions against dissent and opposition, is strongly tied to Cambodia’s corrupt and underdeveloped legal and judicial systems, which are direct results of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide in the late 1970s.
Read MoreBy Julia Alexander.
Cuba has had a medical mission program in place for over sixty years through which it sends its doctors abroad to countries in need. However, the conditions under which doctors are signed onto these missions and their treatment abroad are akin to state-sanctioned human trafficking.
Read MoreBy Claire Montgomery.
Nigeria is one of the worst countries when it comes to internet scamming. Specifically, the 419 fraud cases. This articles looks to the different ways these scams happen and the 419 law they are named after.
Read MoreBy Madalin Sholtz.
Switzerland’s neutrality proclamation has been romanticized by the world, but its reality is much less romantic. Swiss neutrality does not mean that the country is removed from all worldly problems. In fact, Switzerland has acted contrary to their neutrality declaration many times throughout its history, even with high support for the maintenance of that political system by the public.
Read MoreBy William T. McAndrews III.
Sports washing has existed since the early twentieth century, with one of the most famous examples being the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. In the modern era, its taken on a new face with multiple nations, including Saudi Arabia, launching massive investments into the world of sports. These mass investments hide numerous human rights violations, but are these complaints valid concerns or are they blowback from the West against newly developing nations?
Read MoreBy Caitlin Urisko.
The Law and Justice Party, known by its Polish acronym “PiS,” lost the parliamentary election in October 2023.This loss is largely attributed to an incredible turn out of youth voters. The new government promises to address issues such as abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigrant rights.
Read MoreBy Wesley Levise.
The Costa Rican government's inaction in enforcing a 1977 law that established exclusive territories for indigenous communities has led to violence, forced evictions, and the murder of two indigenous leaders within a year. The lack of a clear mechanism for determining indigenous identity and compensating non-indigenous landowners has further complicated the land rights crisis, with individuals claiming or denying indigenous heritage for financial gain. Indigenous activist Lesner Figueroa argues that the government's compliance with the 1977 Law would prevent violence, as land reclamation attempts are seen as both activism and extremism.
Read MoreBy Kaitlyn Harries.
In December, France’s Parliament passed a restrictive immigration bill further limiting access to social welfare programs to asylum seekers. The bill was seen as a political bargaining chip between Macron and the far-right National Rally Party, but France’s Constitutional Council pulled back a third of the originally passed provisions.
Read MoreBy Thomas Carr.
Denmark recently passed a law banning the desecration of holy texts in response to widespread protests featuring the burning of the Quran. The law violates Denmark’s tradition of free speech as well as several of Denmark’s obligations under international law.
Read MoreBy Noelle Andrego.
Canada is praised for its immigration policies today, but it has an extensive history of discrimination. Chinese people faced demands from white Canadian politicians and residents urging their exclusion, subsequently enacted exclusion laws, and humiliating policies requiring registration cards. Despite these challenges, Chinese people resiliently settled in Canada and are an integral part of Canada’s cultural mosaic today.
Read MoreBy Abby Treadwell.
On November 30, 2023, Russia’s highest court held that “international LGBT organizations” will be designated as “extremist organizations.” The ruling carries the possibility of massive fines, or even prison time for violators. As LGBT activists grapple with the potential impacts of the decision, what remains clear is that Russia’s efforts to advance “traditional values” are not slowing down.
Read MoreBy Jake Babbish.
The global demand for synthetic drugs is on the rise. Mexico’s drug cartels have created a global network to meet this demand. How can countries combat this in accordance with international law?
Read MoreBy Abagail Cacovic.
Since 2016, Bolivia and Chile have been fighting in the International Court of Justice over the Silala River, a vital ecosystem to both countries. The ICJ ruled in 2022 that both parties agree to most major issues and that both are entitled to equitable and reasonable utilization of the Silala waters under customary international law.
Read MoreBy Nicholas Sturos.
The current Egyptian government has new technologies to silence political opposition and free speech. A couple of the technologies include smart cities and internet monitoring.
Read MoreBy Julia Moran.
Early 2024, Félix Tshisekedi was elected for another five years as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s President. The DRC is rich in minerals and natural resources wanted by many countries. However, the citizens have not seen much of the economic benefit. With President Tshisekedi’s promise to increase the economy, will the environment be the one who bears the cost?
Read MoreBy Caleb Siebeneck.
In 2014, Egypt passed a new constitution by referendum, which contains provisions pertaining to the right to council, rights of detainees, and right to a fair trial. Unfortunately, authorities in Egypt are using legal and nonlegal strategies to circumvent constitutional and statutory protections, and, in practice, criminal defendant rights are not being upheld under the 2014 Constitution. This article examines these provisions, the strategies officials use to circumvent (and simply ignore) these rights, and the possible effects this may have on the 2014 Constitution’s legitimacy.
Read MoreBy Madalin Sholtz.
Costa Rica is praised as the Switzerland of the south for its constitutional demilitarization, yet the reality is much different than the perception. The Costa Rican police force is well trained and equipped to handle internal conflicts and small-scale external conflicts. For large-scale external conflicts, Costa Rica allows foreign militaries to step into its shoes to provide security to its citizens.
Read MoreBy Julia Alexander.
The Salvadoran government issued a state of emergency in March 2022 in response to pervasive gang violence. However, this state of emergency has been renewed continuously for nearly eighteen months and has resulted in the suspension of many constitutional rights and arbitrary arrests, which amounts to about two percent of the Salvadoran population.
Read MoreBy Claire E. Montgomery.
Greece passed new legislation restricting the independence of reporters and distrust looms in the distance. The freedom of the press is being restricted by abusive, arbitrary uses of government power.
Read MoreBy Andrew Haftkowycz.
In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament, known as Verkhovna Rada, loosened civilian gun laws for national security interests. Ukraine’s response to civilian self-defense laws has yielded interesting results, impacting criminal activity and policy strategy, internationally.
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