Violence and War
- Mali’s civil war is growing worse and there are discussions about whether ECOWAS should intervene:
- “Tuareg rebels take Mali garrision town, say sources.”
- “Mali Drought, Violence Spur Exodus.” (h/t Sahel Blog)
- “Ivorian general: Regional bloc mulling armed intervention in Mali to stem Tuareg uprising.” (h/t Sahel Blog)
- By the way, isn’t it amazing to see Cote d’Ivoire so quickly getting involved in regional politics? It was just over a year ago that they were on the brink of war.
- Boko Haram is still causing problems in northern Nigeria.
- My post about the failed kidnapping rescue.
- Update: “Boko Haram spokesman denies link to Nigeria kidnap.” But others disagree. The question is how united this organization is.
- My post about the failed kidnapping rescue.
In Court: Kiobel, Shell and Nigeria
- The US Supreme Court decided to hear new arguments in the Kiobel case, about Shell’s complicity in the torture of Nigerians in the Niger Delta. (For more on this case see my previous post).
- I had a chance to meet Justice Scalia when he was at our campus this past Thursday but he was tight-lipped on this active case. He did seem to suggest that he already knew what the outcome would be. And he didn’t seem too unhappy. So that could be a sign that we are about to see a more restricted interpretation of the Alien Tort Statute very soon. Also, I overheard him talking about the Citizens United decision and his view on the freedom of speech. From that I take it that he, at least, doesn’t see that decision really bearing much weight on the broader question of whether corporations are citizens.
- Knox at Opinio Juris seems to agree that we should be pessimistic about future use of the ATS to implement human rights law.
Elections and Democracy
- Senegal is getting ready for the run-off election between incumbent President Wade and challenger Macky Sall.
- Obama hailed Ghana as a “model” of African democracy while Ghanaian President Atta Mills was visiting the White House (Reuters)
Michael Nelson 