Published: 02 June 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
Throughout the year, Germany makes numerous statements on international law. Not all these statements form part of a case study presented on GPIL. However, these statements may nevertheless be of interest to international lawyers. We therefore compile these statements on a monthly basis. (more…)
Published: 26 May 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
On 22 July 1946, the Republic of China (ROC), together with the United Kingdom, was the first State to become a member of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the last phase of the Chinese civil war, the Nationalist Government of the ROC under General Chiang Kai-shek was forced by its Communist opponents to abandon mainland China and to relocate to Taiwan. By proclamation of 8 December 1949, the Nationalist Government transferred the capital of the ROC from mainland China to Taipei, the capital of the island of Taiwan. On 1 September 1949, the Communist counter-government under Mao Tse-tung, which controlled all of mainland China, had proclaimed the foundation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing. On 5 May 1950, the ROC informed the Director-General of the WHO of its withdrawal from the organization, but in 1953 it resumed its participation. The question of China’s representation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) was first raised in 1953 when the credentials of the ROC delegation were accepted only after a formal vote. In the following years, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and other Eastern bloc countries regularly protested the non-representation of the PRC and launched several unsuccessful attempts to unseat the delegation of the ROC. (more…)
Published: 18 May 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
At the beginning of May 2020, Germany joined the Global Ocean Alliance for marine protection. The Alliance was initially created by the British Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 2019. The aim of the initiative is to ensure that at least 30% of the global ocean is assigned Marine Protected Area (MPA) status by 2030 through the 30by30 initiative. MPAs are geographically defined marine areas that are designated and managed to achieve specific conservation and sustainable use objectives. MPAs have been established by coastal States in their territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Germany became the 14th State to join the Alliance. Commenting on Germany joining the Alliance, the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety commented: (more…)
Published: 14 May 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
On 8 May 2020, the day which marked the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the Maltese ambassador to Finland, Michael Zammit Tabona, posted the following statement on his private Facebook page:
“75 years ago we stopped Hitler. Who will stop Angela Merkel? She has fulfilled Hitler’s dream! To control Europe.”
Published: 12 May 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
Throughout the year, Germany makes numerous statements on international law. Not all of these statements form part of a case study presented on GPIL. However, these statements may nevertheless be of interest to international lawyers. We therefore compile these statements on a monthly basis. (more…)
Published: 29 April 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
In February 2011, in the early stages of the civil war in Libya, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the country. The implementation of the arms embargo and other sanctions is monitored by a Committee of the Security Council. In March 2011, the Security Council also established a Panel of Experts to examine and analyse information regarding the implementation of the arms embargo; in particular, incidents of non-compliance. These measures, however, did not stop the influx of arms into Libya. In its report of November 2019, the Panel of Experts remarked that “the arms embargo was ineffective, and resulted in regular maritime and air transfers to Libya of military materiel.” The Panel identified Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as routinely and sometimes blatantly supplying weapons to the parties to the conflict, employing little effort to disguise the source. (more…)
Published: 27 April 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
On 3 January 2020, the United States killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani and several members of his entourage in a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. General Soleimani was the commander of the Quds Force, a military unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran responsible for its foreign operations, supporting non-State actors in neighbouring countries, including Shia militias in Iraq. The United States considered Soleimani as the mastermind behind numerous attacks by Iranian proxies against American troops in the Middle East. (more…)
Published: 20 April 2020 Authors: Mary Lobo and Stefan Talmon
Since 2005, Yemen has faced unrest following uprisings, most notably by the Houthi rebels in the north. Over the years, the conflict has developed into a full-blown civil war. In September 2014, the Houthis took control of the country’s capital Sana’a, as well as much of the north of the country. Yemeni President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi was made to resign and placed under house arrest. In January 2015, the Houthis appointed a presidential council to replace him. However, in February 2015 Hadi managed to escape to the southern Yemeni port of Aden. He rescinded his resignation and on 24 March 2015, he sent a letter to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States asking them (more…)
Published: 16 April 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
On 19 January 2020, Germany hosted a “Conference on Libya” in Berlin in order “to create new political impetus and rally international support for finding a solution to the conflict in Libya.” The conference was attended by the Governments of Algeria, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, the Republic of the Congo, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, and High Representatives of the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and the League of Arab States. The leaders of the two main warring factions – the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the self-styled Libyan National Army with its headquarters in Benghazi – were also present in Berlin but did not formally take part in the conference. (more…)
Published: 14 April 2020 Author: Stefan Talmon
Since mid-2014, Yemen has been gripped by a devastating civil war between the Houthi rebels and the government of President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi which is backed by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In September 2014, the Houthi rebels captured the capital Sana’a and have been controlling large areas of northern Yemen ever since. In January 2015, the Houthis declared that President Hadi was deposed and established their own government in Sana’a, dissolved parliament and took over the government institutions located in the north. President Hadi fled first to the port city of Aden in the south of the country and later to Saudi Arabia. (more…)