http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/international-law Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:01:34 -0400 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:01:34 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1778/seeking-a-better-life-asylum-law-the-migration-crisis-and-available-legal-remedies By Audrey Cialdella - Between 2012 and 2017, the number of asylum applications from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—countries collectively known as the Northern Triangle—increased by eight hundred percent[1]. The Trump administration has responded by increasing deportations, separating families, and forcing would-be asylum seekers to wait to file their claims in Mexico, where they have limited resources and remain exposed to many of the dangers from which they fled[2]. The root of this mass exodus from three small countries reaches back to the Cold War, when the US became enmeshed in civil wars in... Thu, 27 Feb 2020 08:22 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1778/seeking-a-better-life-asylum-law-the-migration-crisis-and-available-legal-remedies http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1705/theoretical-utilisation-of-biological-warfare-from-aquatic-invasive-species By Richard J. Neale - The Peruvian population became infected from eating shellfish that had ingested plankton, and from drinking or bathing in water supplies drawn directly out of the rivers which at best had only minimal processing. It worked its way inland, and was spread faster due to massive overcrowding, whilst the waters themselves spread along the coastline. The lack of water purification, chlorination protocols, insufficient infrastructure with regards to medical facilities and waste disposal, coupled with minimal international support lead to 4,000 deaths within a matter of weeks, with a further 393,000 contracting... Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1705/theoretical-utilisation-of-biological-warfare-from-aquatic-invasive-species http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1642/libya-2011-exploring-the-implementation-of-the-responsibility-to-protect By Andrew R. Aubuchon - This article explores the role that the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) played in the 2011 intervention in Libya. It examines the R2P legal framework in coordination with events on the ground in Libya during the early part of 2011 in order to thoroughly explain that R2P was correctly invoked by the United Nations Security Council in order to uphold international law. The article argues that this mandate allowed for the lawful intervention by NATO thereafter. However, the R2P was not fully carried out. The law clearly mandates actions that must be taken upon the conclusion of fighting carried out... Thu, 11 May 2017 10:26 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1642/libya-2011-exploring-the-implementation-of-the-responsibility-to-protect http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1539/gender-equality-in-international-institutions-progress-and-challenges-in-moving-toward-gender-parity By Lyndsay B. Thompson - The International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda, for the first time in international law, recognized sexual violence in conflict as crimes against humanity and grave breaches of international law. Subsequently, the International Criminal Court was created with a gender-mainstreamed focus on international issues, and UN Resolutions required states to make gender parity in representation and gender equality national goals. However, when faced with changes in formal rules, institutions often react to reinforce old traditional gender norms... Sat, 18 Feb 2017 09:01 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1539/gender-equality-in-international-institutions-progress-and-challenges-in-moving-toward-gender-parity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1436/depoliticizing-and-deconstructing-human-rights-changing-the-lens-through-which-we-view-universal-human-rights By Uday V. Garg - This paper is an attempt to navigate through existing theories of universalisation of human rights and existing justifications thereof. It is premised on several cultural and political notions that it takes as starting points, not as truisms, but through ideological deconstruction, which enable positively directing the aforementioned navigation, with the object of illustrating fundamental flaws in the current regimes, both political and discursive, of the human rights movement. The paper derives this idea from Mutua’s (2001) article, and takes it forward to proposing an alternative regime... Thu, 01 Sep 2016 09:20 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1436/depoliticizing-and-deconstructing-human-rights-changing-the-lens-through-which-we-view-universal-human-rights http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1339/competing-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-viewed-through-international-admiralty-law By Constantine J. Petallides - The Spratly Islands sit in the eastern waters of the South China Sea, west of the Philippines and northwest of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.[1] The island chain consists of “more than 140 islets, rocks, reefs, shoals, and sandbanks spread over an area of more than 410,000 square kilometers.”[2] Some of the islands are totally submerged, some appear and disappear with the tides, and some are always above the sea.[3] Less than forty of the Spratly Islands’ features are islands under Article 121(1) of UNCLOS, which defines an island as “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded... Wed, 27 Jan 2016 05:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1339/competing-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-viewed-through-international-admiralty-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1312/what-was-the-influence-of-cosmopolitan-law-on-the-permanent-court-of-international-justice By Melissa S. McHugh - At the heart of many contemporary international organizations, such as the United Nations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), the theory underpinning cosmopolitan law represents the ideal they strive to achieve in a world plagued with war, conflict, and genocide. Before the UN, the ICJ and the ICC, the League of Nations established the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ)—not as a utopian realization of Immanuel Kant’s perpetual peace, but as a tool for European nations to seek rational resolutions to disputes arising from... Fri, 20 Nov 2015 10:43 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1312/what-was-the-influence-of-cosmopolitan-law-on-the-permanent-court-of-international-justice http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1073/an-axe-to-grind-an-overview-of-hungarys-axe-murder-case-and-its-effects-on-the-international-community By Akos Erzse - Politics is the result of interaction of different groups and communities, aiming to ensure peaceful cohabitation of all actors. Due to this relationship between states, statements and actions by government officials, diplomatic officers or even civilians are capable of inadvertently offending societies and different peoples, provoking radical responses by administrations and the public alike. A good example was Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney’s remark about the lack of preparedness of British security prior to the 2012 Olympic Games, which resulted in heavy criticism and left a bitter... Thu, 01 Jan 2015 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1073/an-axe-to-grind-an-overview-of-hungarys-axe-murder-case-and-its-effects-on-the-international-community http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/936/the-evolution-of-human-rights-law-in-europe-comparing-the-european-court-of-human-rights-and-the-ecj-icj-and-icc By Donna V. Artusy - Human rights protection in Europe evolved significantly over the last century, culminating in the creation of the European Court of Human Rights. Unfortunately, the decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights are not binding and do not serve as precedent for future cases. The court has the potential to hold significantly greater influence over human rights protection, but its institutional structure and guiding doctrine (the European Convention on Human Rights) does not allow for this. Although the Court maintains jurisdiction over a smaller number of states, it has a more significant... Mon, 03 Nov 2014 03:49 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/936/the-evolution-of-human-rights-law-in-europe-comparing-the-european-court-of-human-rights-and-the-ecj-icj-and-icc http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1085/international-cooperation-in-combating-threats-to-maritime-security-global-maritime-security-and-international-law By Stephanie Fitzgerald - Regardless of this debate, there is certainly evidence of some kind of duty to cooper ate under international law. Two of the purposes of the United Nations (UN ) mentioned in The Charter are to maintain international peace and security through collective action, and to achieve international cooperation in solving problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character.6 A 1970 UN General Assembly resolution recommends the codification of the duty to cooperate in accordance with the Charter and goes on to specify that this includes cooperation in the maintenance of international peace... Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1085/international-cooperation-in-combating-threats-to-maritime-security-global-maritime-security-and-international-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/775/the-law-of-attack-in-cyberspace-considering-the-tallinn-manuals-definition-of-attack-in-the-digital-battlespace By Michael J. Norris - A lawful attack in armed conflict is predicated on four cumulative conditions. First, the target must be a 'military objective.' Second, the 'means' and 'method' employed to attack the target must be lawful. Third, the attacker must take specified precautions. Finally, the attack must not cause damage to civilian objects or civilians excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military objective anticipated.[3] Attacks which do not meet these four conditions are considered unlawful. However, operations that do not meet the threshold of attack are not subject to the aforementioned conditions... Tue, 22 Oct 2013 10:33 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/775/the-law-of-attack-in-cyberspace-considering-the-tallinn-manuals-definition-of-attack-in-the-digital-battlespace http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1607/women-in-the-schoolhouse-whitehouse-and-whorehouse-empowering-sex-trafficked-women-in-southeast-asia-through-education-and-political-participation By Matthew Lozada - While the enslavement of humans has been occurring even before the dawn of written history, today's form of slavery occurs on an unprecedented scale in both scope and reach. This work attempts to understand the most vulnerable sectors of population groups and the strength of the laws in Southeast Asian countries that address the human trafficking epidemic in the region. This endeavor uses quantitative analysis through the linear regression function of the SPSS program to operationalize and see whether the factors of gender parity, educational attainment, or political representation show strong... Fri, 31 May 2013 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1607/women-in-the-schoolhouse-whitehouse-and-whorehouse-empowering-sex-trafficked-women-in-southeast-asia-through-education-and-political-participation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/732/addressing-the-use-of-sexual-violence-as-a-strategic-weapon-of-war By Joshua A. Jones - This paper examines historical and contemporary instances wherein sexual violence, specifically rape, was used as a strategic weapon amid both traditional and tribal conflict, as well as in genocidal operations. It analyzes the cogency of sexual violence as a weapon by considering its physical and psychological effects on victims and the morale of targeted populations. Additionally, it scrutinizes the motivations and intentions that support the use of sexual violence during armed conflict in order to ascertain potential methods by which the incentive may be removed or mediated. The intent of this... Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/732/addressing-the-use-of-sexual-violence-as-a-strategic-weapon-of-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1616/tested-and-found-wanting-a-quantitative-analysis-of-legal-integration-in-the-member-states-of-the-2004-european-union-enlargement By Leigh Maltby - The subject of European legal integration entered the spotlight of interdisciplinary studies in the mid-1990s and has continued to maintain, if not increase, its prominence in scholarly literature (Mattli and Slaughter, 1998, 177-178). As Egan, Nugent and Paterson indicate, "Not only have different disciplines cast light on different aspects of the integration process and of the EU but so has there been a mushrooming of varying approaches to EU studies within disciplines" (Egan, Nugent and Paterson, 2010, 1-13). Scholars using a variety methods conclude that European legal integration would not... Mon, 31 Dec 2012 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1616/tested-and-found-wanting-a-quantitative-analysis-of-legal-integration-in-the-member-states-of-the-2004-european-union-enlargement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/715/international-law-reconsidered-is-international-law-actually-law By Constantine J. Petallides - As it stands now, states’ obligations are outlined in treaties and customs, but enforcement relies on vague clauses and empty threats found within the documents, or in international bodies like the UN Security Council (UNSC) where power asymmetries grant the more powerful states significant influence. Consent is very important, but international law’s status as “law” cannot rest on consent alone. As rational, unitary actors, states make decisions that are in their best interests, and more often than not, consenting to various conventions and treaties is in a state&rsquo... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:06 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/715/international-law-reconsidered-is-international-law-actually-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1211/should-the-responsibility-to-protect-be-enshrined-in-international-law By Amanda Lo - The structure of the paper is as follows. First, I will discuss the historical background that gave rise to the concept of the “responsibility to protect” in order to understand its purpose and definition. Next, I will address the inherent tensions found within the responsibility to protect, and will focus on the tensions between the moral responsibility versus legal responsibility of states when they are faced with the “responsibility to protect.” Through the case of Libya, I argue that humanitarian concerns do not override the importance of the principle of state sovereignty... Thu, 01 Nov 2012 06:41 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1211/should-the-responsibility-to-protect-be-enshrined-in-international-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/645/sovereignty-over-airspace-international-law-current-challenges-and-future-developments-for-global-aviation By Chrystel Erotokritou - The issue of sovereignty lies at the very heart of international aviation because all aviation relations are built upon it. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the spectacular evolution of the concept of sovereignty in the air by adopting a multifaceted approach to this issue. In the first part the concept of sovereignty under general international law is briefly explained, before defining it in the more specific framework of public international air law. This discussion is followed by an analysis of the way states open their airspace for the purpose of entering into commercial agreements... Mon, 21 May 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/645/sovereignty-over-airspace-international-law-current-challenges-and-future-developments-for-global-aviation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/613/the-legal-liability-of-air-traffic-controllers By Chrystel Erotokritou - The very first air traffic controller was Archie League at Saint Louis Airport in Missouri. His control tower was a wheelbarrow with an umbrella for shade during the summer heat, a notepad and flags. He was instructing the pilot to proceed by raising a checkered flag and was requesting the pilot to wait before being cleared to land or take off by waiving a red flag.[1] At that time aviation was an infant industry but flights across the United States and across European countries started to operate.[2] In the thirties runways were extended and Air Traffic Controllers (ATCO’s) were now stationed... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:15 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/613/the-legal-liability-of-air-traffic-controllers http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1697/defining-armed-conflict-in-international-humanitarian-law By Gertrude C. Chelimo - International humanitarian law does make it clear what an international armed conflict is. According to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, common article 2 states that “all cases of declared war or of any armed conflict that may arise between two or more high contracting parties, even if the state of war is not recognized, the convention shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a high contracting party even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance'' (Geneva Convention, 1949, common art.2). This means that the occurrence of international armed... Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:23 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1697/defining-armed-conflict-in-international-humanitarian-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/351/preventive-security-in-the-21st-century-the-threats-of-the-threats By Ali B. Al-Bayaa - Let aside the debate around what globalization means; it has become evident that this phenomenon has shown that what affects one nation often affects another, or many others, and that interdependence exists in many forms and shapes. For the sake of this paper, we will move forward while adopting Nick Bisely’s method of defining globalization: “[The definition] depends not only on one’s basic vision of  [globalization's] constituent elements, but also on the sphere of human life in which one is interested” (Bisely, 2007). This paper examines preventive human security... Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:40 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/351/preventive-security-in-the-21st-century-the-threats-of-the-threats http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1264/judging-wars-the-international-politics-of-humanitarian-adjudication By Eric C. Ip - The past sixty years witnessed a global proliferation of international courts and tribunals of almost all sizes and purposes. Today, they play important roles in international governance by handing down decisions in compelling areas ranging from global trade to environmental protection. In the past two decades, their reach has even extended into the realm of armed conflict and humanitarian policy. However, unlike domestic courts, international tribunals lack centralized enforcement mechanisms. Does this follow the classical assumption that they are merely toothless tigers and instruments to further... Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1264/judging-wars-the-international-politics-of-humanitarian-adjudication http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/140/international-law-and-nuclear-weapons-does-the-continued-development-of-advanced-nuclear-weapons-violate-international-law By Boris S. Nikitin - Throughout the twentieth-century, nuclear weapons got deadlier; their range and power have both increased, bringing the potential for greater devastation to the globe. To limit the spread of nuclear weapons, the international community adopted the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968, which calls for the secession of the nuclear arms race and abandonment of nuclear weapons. Recent American attempts to start research in the field of the low-yield nuclear bunker buster bombs brings important issues of legality of the proposed research in light of Article VI of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty... Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:20 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/140/international-law-and-nuclear-weapons-does-the-continued-development-of-advanced-nuclear-weapons-violate-international-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1276/withdrawing-the-case-of-uganda-from-the-jurisdiction-of-the-international-criminal-court By Sebastien Malo - The trend from international armed conflicts toward internal insurgencies has altered our common understandings of classical strategic wisdom. While traditionally under the politics of imperialism, wars were settled with the winning state’s decisive acquisition of territories over that of another state, in internal conflicts rebels choose to protract asymmetric warfare by employing low-scale guerrilla tactics rather than attempting to decisively hold a territory. Clausewitz’s observation that war is a mere continuation of politics by other means is thus nuanced by the unlikelihood... Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1276/withdrawing-the-case-of-uganda-from-the-jurisdiction-of-the-international-criminal-court http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/18/responding-to-rape-as-a-weapon-of-war-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-cidas-actions-in-an-evaluative-framework By Arielle K. Eirienne - Stories like this woman’s are common in the DRC, so common, in fact, that the Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Noeleen Heyzer, has claimed that “Nearly all the women interviewed in Kinshasa or in the Eastern DRC … have been victims of sexual violence and rape” (UNIFEM 2006). Noting that many rapes remain unreported, the Joint Initiative on Sexual Violence against Women and Children has placed the incidence of rapes at at least 40,000 between the 1998 outbreak of the DRC’s most recent conflict and a 2003 analysis (cited... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/18/responding-to-rape-as-a-weapon-of-war-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-cidas-actions-in-an-evaluative-framework http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1307/can-kosovo-be-a-precedent-for-south-ossetia-and-abkhazia-recognizing-differences-in-dynamics-of-recognition By Anna V. Dolidze - The issue of whether the recognition of Kosovo as an independent state might serve as a precedent for former autonomous republics of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia has been often debated. This paper aims at comparing the processes of recognition of these three entities. It illustrates that the international community has been gradually recognizing Kosovo as a State while South Ossetia/Abkhazia have been subjected to the policy of non-recognition. It argues that because the dynamics of recognition of Kosovo and South Ossetia/Abkhazia have been very different, it is less likely that the establishment... Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1307/can-kosovo-be-a-precedent-for-south-ossetia-and-abkhazia-recognizing-differences-in-dynamics-of-recognition http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1309/human-rights-in-indonesia-the-consequences-of-discrepancies-in-domestic-versus-international-law By Antonia Sohns - "[A]n American transnational mining company called Freeport-McMoRan…operat[es] the largest gold mine on Earth, not in Africa but in the heart of West Papua" (Leith xv). FreeportMcMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. is the best known subsidiary of PT Freeport Indonesia, operating in West Papua, New Guinea. Freeport's operation there has resulted in the complete remodeling of the society and economy. West Papua is a province of Indonesia; it, along with Papua New Guinea, comprises the island of New Guinea. West Papua has a population of approximately 800,000 people, making it one of the smallest Indonesian... Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1309/human-rights-in-indonesia-the-consequences-of-discrepancies-in-domestic-versus-international-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1147/what-do-we-do-with-pinochet By Isaac Bigio - The Spanish super-judge Baltazar Garzón managed to receive the support of his own National Court in his claim to extradite the Chilean ex-dictator. He is accused for crimes against humanity: for violently overthrew a democratically elected government, violating the Chilean constitution and producing the death of the constitutional President; for killing at least 3,000 people; for tortured, kidnapped or detained tens of thousands; for allowing animals and torturers to rape women; for building an international terrorist Cóndor command; for murdering Chilean personalities... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1147/what-do-we-do-with-pinochet