Stephen W. Preston, General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, gave these remarks on "CIA and the Rule of Law" at Harvard Law School on April 10, 2012.
"Flanked by the coca-producing countries of the Andes and the world's leading consumer of illegal drugs—the United States—Central America is a strategic choke point for illicit trade," writes Michael Shifter, president of Inter-American Dialogue, in a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Special Report, Countering Criminal Violence in Central America.
John B. Bellinger III discusses the upcoming Supreme Court hearing of arguments in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, which will decide whether corporations may be sued in U.S. courts for violations of international law under the Alien Tort Statute.
Authors: Jerome A. Cohen and Jared Genser South China Morning Post
Jerome A. Cohen and Jared Genser argue that the case of detained Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng demonstrates how far the Chinese government will go to suppress legitimate criticism by its citizens.
Speaker: Aung San Suu Kyi Presider: Paula J. Dobriansky
In a meeting conducted via video conference, Aung San Suu Kyi discusses recent changes in Myanmar, her decision to rejoin the political system, and Myanmar-U.S. relations.
Speaker: Aung San Suu Kyi Presider: Paula J. Dobriansky
In a meeting conducted via videoconference, Aung San Suu Kyi discusses recent changes in Myanmar, her decision to rejoin the political system, and Myanmar-U.S. relations.
Authors: Jerome A. Cohen and Yu Han South China Morning Post
Jerome A. Cohen and Yu Han urge the adoption of wider oversight powers for Chinese prosecutors in a revision to the Criminal Procedure Law, allowing the "watchdogs of legality" to rein in investigators' misconduct.
Jerome A. Cohen says the cause of Chen Guangchen, imprisoned because of his efforts to defend women against forced sterilization by the Chinese government, could become a monumental struggle for freedom and justice in China.
Jerome A. Cohen states, "The Chinese government's current suppression of rising internet protests against its barbaric abuse of the blind 'barefoot lawyer' Chen Guangcheng raises fundamental questions about the impact of legal reforms on real life in China."
Arch Puddington discusses the growing list of governments that are using the criminal justice system to punish former leaders, including Ukraine which recently sentenced former prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko.
The Magna Carta is an English charter dating to 1215. The National Archives calls the Magna Carta a “charter of ancient liberties guaranteed by a king to his subjects” and gives this history of the document:
“King John of England agreed, in 1215, to the demands of his barons and authorized that handwritten copies of Magna Carta be prepared on parchment, affixed with his seal, and publicly read throughout the realm. Thus he bound not only himself but his "heirs, for ever" to grant "to all freemen of our kingdom" the rights and liberties the great charter described. With Magna Carta, King John placed himself and England's future sovereigns and magistrates within the rule of law.”
Jerome A. Cohen says the Chinese government's assurances for due process in its prosecution of Lai Changxing, the mastermind behind a smuggling and bribery scandal, are far from being 'strict, clear, and unequivocal.'
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.