Academic Writing

Hungary’s government wants to shut down its most prominent university. That may be backfiring.

Author(s): 
Henry Farrell
Publication Date: 
April 10, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

When Hungary’s government passed a law last week which was effectively intended to shut down Budapest’s Central European University, it surely anticipated that there would be a backlash. It probably did not anticipate mass demonstrations, or senior European politicians threatening to suspend Hungary’s membership of the European Union. Here is how Hungary’s government has gotten into this mess.

Hungary’s leader doesn’t like liberal democracy Read more about Hungary’s government wants to shut down its most prominent university. That may be backfiring.

Important New Bipartisan Bill To Advance Accountability for International Crimes in Syria

Author(s): 
Beth Van Schaack
Publication Date: 
April 10, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

Following on the heels of last week’s chemical weapon attack in Syria, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bob Corker (R-TN), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Todd Young (R-IN) have introduced the Syria War Crimes Accountability Act of 2017, which authorizes the United States to provide technical and other forms of assistance to investigations and other credible transitional justice efforts, including a potential hybrid tribunal. Read more about Important New Bipartisan Bill To Advance Accountability for International Crimes in Syria

Free Police Body Cameras Come With a Price

Author(s): 
Elizabeth Joh
Publication Date: 
April 5, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

On Wednesday, Taser International announced it is changing its name to Axon—and that it is offering every police department in the United States free body cameras, plus free software and data storage for one year. This announcement is a big deal, but not because it’s a great boon to policing. It isn’t.

Here's How Tesla Solves A Self-Driving Crash Dilemma

Author(s): 
Patrick Lin
Publication Date: 
April 5, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

With very rare exceptions, automakers are famously coy about crash dilemmas.  They don’t want to answer questions about how their self-driving cars would respond to weird, no-win emergencies.  This is understandable, since any answer can be criticized—there’s no obvious solution to a true dilemma, so why play that losing game? Read more about Here's How Tesla Solves A Self-Driving Crash Dilemma

Reforming Surveillance In the Age of Donald Trump

Author(s): 
Jennifer Granick
Publication Date: 
March 25, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

On Wednesday, the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes (R-CA), gave a press conference in which he reported that Trump transition team members’ communications were intercepted by US intelligence agencies through “incidental collection.” This follows on Nunes’ concerns, after Michael Flynn stepped down following intelligence reports that he had talked to the Russian ambassador. Read more about Reforming Surveillance In the Age of Donald Trump

Supreme Court Says Patent Trolls Can Wait A While Before Suing

Author(s): 
Daniel Nazer
Publication Date: 
March 22, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

In a ruling this week that will cheer up patent trolls, the Supreme Court said patent owners can lie in wait for years before suing. This will allow trolls to sit around while others independently develop and build technology. The troll can then jump out from under the bridge and demand payment for work it had nothing to do with. Read more about Supreme Court Says Patent Trolls Can Wait A While Before Suing

Closing the Loop: Sabrina De Sousa Pardoned for Role in CIA Torture and Rendition

Author(s): 
Beth Van Schaack
Publication Date: 
March 22, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

"Just a quick note to close the loop on the Sabrina De Sousa case, which I discussed in greater detail here.  On the day before she was to be extradited to Italy from Portugal, Italian President Sergio Mattarella partially  Read more about Closing the Loop: Sabrina De Sousa Pardoned for Role in CIA Torture and Rendition

Republicans claim Trump may have been surveilled through ‘incidental collection.’ What’s incidental collection?

Author(s): 
Henry Farrell
Publication Date: 
March 22, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

The Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes has just said that Donald Trump’s communications were likely picked up by US intelligence agencies through “incidental collection.” Before Nunes’ statement, I interviewed Jennifer Stisa Granick, the director of civil liberties at Stanford University’s Center for the Internet and Society, about her new Read more about Republicans claim Trump may have been surveilled through ‘incidental collection.’ What’s incidental collection?

Ukraine Update: the ICJ Proceedings & Options for Justice in the United States

Author(s): 
Beth Van Schaack
Publication Date: 
March 21, 2017
Publication Type: 
Other Writing

With the Congressional hearings on Russia dominating the news, this post provides an update on proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the matter of Ukraine versus the Russian Federation. It also responds to a reader’s question about whether there are any options for prosecuting acts of terrorism in Ukraine, including the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight 17, in U.S. courts.

Events at the ICJ Read more about Ukraine Update: the ICJ Proceedings & Options for Justice in the United States

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