It’s hard not to be inspired by the story of Izzeldin Aboul Aish. A doctor who received his Master’s of Public Health from Harvard, Aboul Aish returned to Gaza to raise his daughters and help his people. He is widely known from his television appearances and practice in Israel.
That most famous and frustrating of oceans treaties looks to be back on the Senate agenda. Again. The momentum is building. Scott Borgeson at the Council on Foreign Relations released a report last week that comprehensively makes the case for U.S. accession to the Law of the Sea Convention.
The International Criminal Court just issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ICC’s first indictment of a sitting head of state is likely to be a game changer, both globally and in Sudan.
Rumors are flying that Yale Law School Dean Harold Hongju Koh is under consideration to be State Department Legal Advisor. That would be a welcome development.
Hillary Clinton did a great job answering questions directly without over-promising in her confirmation hearing and Questions for the Record. Fortunately, she left behind a few clues as to where we’re headed. Clinton’s plan to aggressively pursue U.S. accession to the Law of the Sea Convention, as noted earlier, is wonderful news.
I don’t think that Barack Obama’s election signifies the coming of a new liberal era any more than I think the United States was a center-right country during the majority of the Bush years. But it doesn’t matter what I think.
As I’m sure the Obama Administration transition team is aware, Poznan, Poland is currently hosting a very important UN-sponsored climate change conference. At stake is nothing less than the next round of emissions reduction commitments (a Kyoto successor) — which Barack Obama has said he wants the U.S. to participate in.
Apparently, John Bolton isn’t the only one who didn’t get the message that he’s irrelevant. Harlan Watson, chief climate negotiator under the Bush Administration, is up to his old tricks.
Over the weekend, Andy Revkin posted a very smart memo to the President-Elect from a group of “specialists on climate, energy, and technology policy,” who have decided to write under the nom de plume “Justinian” reveal their identities in a few weeks.
Rosa had to sit so Martin could walk, Martin had to walk so Barack could run, Barack had to run so our children can fly. I have little to add. Hopefully, President-elect Obama will select a team that can meet the promise of his inspirational campaign and thoughtful policies.
