What Joining the EU’s Common Security Defense Policy Means for Denmark

By Caleb Carter.

The Kingdom of Denmark has a unique history regarding its international security agreements. In fact, until recently, Denmark’s position was the opposite of a couple of its Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden and Finland. While all three of these nations are members of the European Union (“EU”), until June 1, 2022, Denmark was the only EU member state to opt-out of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy (“CSDP”).

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Caleb Carter
Cultural Autonomy: What Can Be Done to Safeguard Afghanistan’s Heritage?

By Natalie Glitz Grumhaus.

The Taliban are ideologically opposed to any form of art other than those traditionally allowed in their fundamentalist form of Islam. Unfortunately, this traditional prohibition does not apply only to their own creations, but also compels the group to obliterate any historically and culturally important works across Afghanistan that conflict with their ideology, like the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. This article considers the history of international intervention in cultural heritage preservation, and several ways that Afghanistan’s cultural heritage could be protected in the future.

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Natalie Glitz Grumhaus
Russia’s Draconian Drug Policies

By Taylor Schanz.

The sentencing of WNBA star Brittney Griner by a Russian Court made international headlines and provided a glimpse of Russia’s austere drug laws. For the past three decades, Russia has enforced a strict abstinence and social intolerance approach to its war on drugs, implementing severe punitive measures to deter drug use. However, this tactic has been largely ineffective and has led to increased incarnation and health-related issues.

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Taylor Schanz
China’s Inhumane Persecution of the Uyghur Muslims: A Tragic Consequence of a Politically Corrupted Judiciary

By Luke Barbrick.

The inability of Chinese lawyers and judges to protect the rights of the country’s persecuted Uyghur Muslims is due to the corrupted nature of China’s weak judiciary. Despite recent government efforts to prove otherwise, the courts of the People’s Republic of China remain little more than rubber stamps for the reigning Communist Party.

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Luke Barbrick
Unique French Trial with Significant Impact

By Jennifer Churay.

In November 2015, a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France left hundreds of people dead or injured. After the attacks, France declared a state of emergency, implemented new laws, and prepared for a historic criminal trial. Unfortunately, the world is all too familiar with terrorist attacks. However, the trial for the accused defendants of the 2015 attacks is unique in several ways.

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Jennifer Churay
Only Yes Means Yes: A New Consent Law in Spain Makes any Sexual Act Done without Clear Consent Prosecutable as Rape

By Haley Wehner.

In the last few years, Spanish media has been filled with various stories of horrific sexual assault cases. The Spanish people have rejected various media and defendants attempts to blame victims of alleged assault. As a result, in 2022, the Spanish legislature passed a new law stating that any sex that takes place without clear consent from the accuser can now be prosecuted as rape.

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Haley Wehner
A Dispute for the Valley: The Brunt of 35A's Abrogation on the Kashmiri People

By Ilina Krishen.

Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute. By safeguarding the rights to owning land, Article 35A served as Kashmir’s primary line of defense against outside interference prior to its abrogation in 2019. Abrogating Article 35A, then, releases a domino effect in abolishing crucial land policy that would otherwise offer limited protection for Kashmiris seeking to continue residing on their own land without fear of displacement.

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Ilina Krishen
Hunger Strikes Under Israeli Occupation

By Amal Shukr.

Despite its illegality under international law, the Israeli Occupier continues to administratively detain Palestinians for indefinite periods of time—without any regard to fair notions of due process. Such arbitrary detainment has prompted many Palestinian detainees to use the only means of protest available to them behind suffocating bars: hunger strikes.

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MSU ILR
European Data Protection Supervisor Orders Europol to Delete Uncategorized Data Older Than Six Months

By David Rosado.

The European Data Protection Supervisor notified the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation of an order that they must delete data held in their possession of individuals who have no established link to criminal activity six months after having received the data. Europol believes that this order will hinder their criminal investigations, as investigations can last years.

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MSU ILR
India’s Dehydrated Condition: Will India Ever Achieve Water Sustainability?

By Camile Loftin.

India suffers from one of the worst water crises in the world. This water shortage impacts the nation’s economy, agricultural production, safe drinking water, and citizens’ way of life. If India implements legislation to regulate water consumption and enters into international agreements to obtain access to water technologies, India may have a chance to once again become an abundant and self-sustaining nation.

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MSU ILR
Modern Day Holocaust: China and the Genocide of the Uyghur Muslims

By Rohaib Latif.

The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group whose members are predominantly Muslim that live in the Xinjiang region in Northwestern China. In recent years, the Chinese government has forced the Uyghur population into a state of mass surveillance, detention centers, and forced assimilation. China says that “this crackdown is necessary to prevent terrorism and root out Islamic extremism.”

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MSU ILR
3D Printers Defying German Weapons Legislation

By Matthew Kramer.

Despite having the strictest firearm control laws in Western Europe, Germany is the birthplace of a new, dependable 3D-printed firearm model. This model comes with instructions that teach an individual how to build it in their bedroom for a few hundred dollars and a 3D printer. Unlike previous models, this one is durable and can be made in a few weeks by a novice.

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MSU ILR
Is the New United Kingdom Policing Law a Threat to Free Speech?

By Carson Jones.
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is about to pass a bill that will allow police to crack down on public protests simply because they deem the noise to be a “serious disruption” and to impose strict punishments on those who violate the new law. Enforcement of the new law will act as a strong deterrent for those looking to exercise their rights to free speech and speak up for their beliefs.

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MSU ILR