Transnational Bodies

Berkowitz: U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Share Commitment to Unalienable Rights

July 08, 2020

Peter Berkowitz, Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department, explains how the work of the U.S. Commission on Unalienable Rights will provide a roadmap for how nations should consider the manner in which their own legal traditions can inform their commitment to the international human rights contained within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Putin Wins the Right to Extend his Rule Until 2036 by a Landslide

July 03, 2020

Russians spent the last week voting in favor of constitutional changes that will allow Vladimir Putin to run for president twice more, potentially extending his rule until 2036.
China's Military and Economic Ambitions are Growing in Europe and the Arctic.

July 01, 2020

According to a top U.S. Admiral and Western analysts, recent evidence points to continued Chinese military and economic interest in gaining control over important shipping lanes or seaports.
AP: China Forces Birth Control on Uighurs to Suppress Population

July 01, 2020

According to an AP investigation, based on government statistics, state documents and interviews with 30 ex-detainees, family members, and a former detention camp instructor, the practice of forced birth control, including abortions, is far more widespread and systematic than previously known.
China Passes Sweeping Hong Kong National Security Law

July 01, 2020

Beijing adopted a wide-reaching national security law which dramatically broadens Beijing's powers to investigate, prosecute, and punish suspected criminals in Hong Kong.
Supreme Court Rules Montana Cannot Exclude Religious Schools From Scholarship Program

July 01, 2020

In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Montana’s reliance on its state Blaine Amendment to discriminate against parents desiring to use tax credit scholarships at religious schools.
DOE Discovers $1 Billion in Anonymous Foreign Funding on U.S. Campuses

June 24, 2020

The U.S. Department of Education (“DOE”) has discovered that foreign sources have provided at least $1.14 billion to U.S universities, including funds coming China, Russia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
VSA’s “Turkey Tribunal” to Bring to Light Turkey's Numerous Human Rights Violations

June 14, 2020

The Belgian-based law firm, Van Steenbrugge Advocaten (VSA), has created an initiative to adjudicate recent human rights violations in Turkey, including torture, abductions, shortcomings in freedom of the press, freedom of expression, and the right to a fair trial.
Satellite Data Suggests Coronavirus Hit China Earlier

June 10, 2020

A new Harvard Medical School study suggests that Covid19 may have been present and spreading through central China long before the outbreak was first reported to the world.
UK Considers Change in Immigration Rules for Hong Kong Residents Seeking to Avoid China Crackdown

June 07, 2020

In a recent article in The Times, Boris Johnson explains how, if China imposes a new security law in Hong Kong making it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority, the UK will change its immigration laws and offer millions of people in Hong Kong a route to citizenship in the UK.