By Lara Williams, Staff Member Following an emergency cabinet meeting last week, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy detailed plans to apply Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution in Catalonia, escalating the country’s most serious constitutional crisis since the restoration of democracy in 1977.[1] The article, that has never before been used, enables the central government…
Continue ReadingBy Abigail Hencheck, Staff Member Somalia does not have a great reputation for women’s rights. It hasn’t ratified the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)[1], women only marginally participate in politics[2], and structural barriers often prevent women from enforcing their property rights.[3] Most infamously, Somali women receive very little…
Continue ReadingBy Hadley Simonett, Staff Member On August 31, 2017, France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to reform the Code du Travail, France’s contested labor laws.[1] Macron, accompanied by Labour Minister Muriel Pénicaud, and government spokesman Christophe Castaner signed five decrees on September 22, 2017, implementing thirty-six changes to France’s labor law.[2] By adopting the Ordinances,…
Continue ReadingBy Rebecca Rosefelt, Staff Member Childhood is a relatively new concept,[1] and juvenile justice systems like those in Western democracies gained steam with the industrial revolution.[2] However, one issue has been of contention since at least the fifth century: at what age does society hold a person criminally liable?[3] Standards still vary across the globe,…
Continue ReadingBy Robby Dube, Staff Member Over the past decade, the European Continent has seen a surge in populist parties; the far left Syriza in Greece, the isolationist United Kingdom Independence Party (“UKIP”), and the nationalist National Front in France have all seen substantial success in recent years.[i] In the Federal Republic of Germany (“Germany”), however,…
Continue ReadingBy Tim Peel, Articles Editor Following an allegedly deadly chemical weapon attack in the Syrian rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed 80 and injured hundreds more last week,[1] The U.S. and U.K. had planned to push for additional punitive sanctions against Russia at a G7 meeting this week.[2] While there is no evidence of…
Continue ReadingBy Ilva Caushi, MJIL Staff Member Albania’s progression to EU membership has not been hindered by the same issues which plague many of its Balkan counterparts, namely ethnic divisions or unresolved statehood issues.[1] Instead, as previously discussed, the country’s delayed journey can largely be attributed to inadequate advancements in establishing a functioning democracy and the…
Continue ReadingBy Jinyoung Seok, Managing Editor The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was enacted in 1977 in the wake of reports of numerous U.S. businesses were making large payments to foreign officials to secure business.[1] It prohibits corruptly giving, promising, or offering anything of value to a foreign governmental official, political, party or party official with…
Continue ReadingBy Shane Fitzmaurice, MJIL Staff Member Currently, small satellite developers in the United States are pressuring the government to let them launch their satellites on India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).[1] These companies would be more than happy to launch their satellites on vehicles made in the United States, except there isn’t enough supply.[2] United…
Continue ReadingBy Cooper Johnson, Note and Comment Editor Brazil has become the center of corruption in recent years. Odebrecht SA, Latin America’s largest construction company, agreed to pay more than $3.5 billion to resolve bribery allegations involving Brazil’s state-run oil company.[1] The company admitted to paying officials of the Brazilian oil giant Petrobas to win contracts.[2]…
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