International Law

Ask CFR Experts

What will be the effect of the UN Arms Trade Treaty on the Syrian conflict?

Asked by Gabriel

The UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was passed on March 28, 2013, and seeks to regulate and limit trade in arms in circumstances of human rights violations. Unfortunately, it will have minimal effect on the Syrian conflict. Syria's own vote against the treaty, along with Iran's and North Korea's, sounded the death knell for a universally applicable treaty to limit small arms, ammunition, and conventional weapons technology.

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See more in Syria, Global Governance, International Law, International Organizations, UN

Audio

The Synthesis of Law and Politics and the Evolution of International Justice (Audio)

Speakers: John B. Bellinger III and David J. Scheffer
Presider: Jeffrey Toobin

Ambassador David Scheffer and former State Department legal adviser John Bellinger discuss how international justice over the last two decades has affected international politics, including the U.S. role in assisting local war crimes prosecutions in Libya and elsewhere.

See more in International Criminal Courts and Tribunals

Audio

Media Conference Call: Intervention in Libya - Options for the United States

Speakers: Micah Zenko and Matthew C. Waxman
Presider: Deborah Jerome

As fighting continues in Libya between anti- and pro-government forces, the Obama administration has warned that it is considering all options, including military intervention. Conflict prevention expert Micah Zenko and international law expert Matthew Waxman discuss the Obama administration's options in Libya and their implications.

See more in Libya, Nation Building, International Law, UN, Humanitarian Intervention

Audio

Tenth Anniversary: The International Religious Freedom Act (Audio)

Speakers: Michael Cromartie and Felice D. Gaer
Presider: Irina A. Faskianos

Listen to Michael Cromartie, vice president, Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Felice D. Gaer, director, Blaustein Institute for Human Rights, American Jewish Committee, discuss the status of the International Religious Freedom Act ten years after its passage as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative.

See more in Human Rights, International Law, Religion

Audio

Symposium on International Law and Justice, Session One: International Obligations Toward Victims of Mass Atrocities (Audio)

Speakers: Wesley K. Clark, Victoria Holt, and Edward C. Luck
Introductory Speaker: Richard N. Haass
Presider: David J. Scheffer

Listen to experts discuss the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine with regard to the United States' and other governments' response to genocide and mass suffering.

This session was part of the CFR Symposium on International Law and Justice, which was made possible through the generous support of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

See more in Democracy and Human Rights, International Law

Audio

Symposium on International Law and Justice, Session Three: The Darfur Case (Audio)

Speaker: Luis Moreno-Ocampo
Introductory Speaker: Angelina Jolie
Presider: Nicholas D. Kristof

Listen to International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo discuss the Darfur case, with introductory remarks by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie.

This session was part of the CFR Symposium on International Law and Justice, which was made possible through the generous support of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

See more in Democracy and Human Rights, International Law