MJIL Blog

By Tanner Sparrow As global carbon emissions continue to rise following the Paris Agreement and the earth continues to speed towards irreversible climate change, the Paris Agreement, despite its successes, faces repeated criticism.[1] Given that all nations’ current targets are not enough cumulatively to keep the climate from staying below the 2-degree Celsius threshold,[2] and…

By Wesley Cong Cao On March 22, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights issues in Xinjiang.[1] The “united transatlantic response,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was the first such coordinated Western action against Beijing under the new Biden administration.[2]…

By Jordan Ziehr The last decade has seen a number of European Union Member States experience significant democratic backsliding, which has presented a challenge to the EU’s commitment to uphold the rule of law. In Poland, attacks on the independence of the judiciary led to an EU attempt to enforce its requirements that Member States…

By Jinke Pu According to Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the right to privacy is one of the fundamental human rights which should not be ignored even in the era of Covid-19 pandemic.[1] Therefore, Bluetooth, a less intrusive technology, instead of GPS should be utilized to do contact-tracing.…

By Danielle Hoffman In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries party to international investment agreements (IIAs) imposed reactive measures restricting the export of masks and other medical equipment.[1] As a result of these measures, masks and other medical equipment contractually arranged to be exported, were not.[2] Accordingly, disgruntled investors, who incurred losses from…

By Jesse Calo On February 25, President Biden ordered an airstrike in Syria against Iranian-backed militias in response to their rocketing of U.S. targets in Baghdad and Erbil from ten days prior.[1] While President Biden asserted a constitutional basis for his authority to act, he also provided a basis for the strike under international law:…

By Jiaying Zhang On February 10th, 2021, the Biden Administration decided to halt two executive orders, which were signed by his predecessor, which banned social media platforms Tiktok and Wechat from the U.S. market.[1] This move will allow American users to continue their enjoyment of these communications applications, but it prevents the courts from further…

By Sicheng Shen The digitalization of the economy has been a key focus of tax debates in recent years.[1] Political debates have focused on the differences between taxing physical business operations and virtual operations.[2] Changing international rules on digital taxation will impact both where and how much tax the impacted digital businesses pay.[3] The current…

By Fabiola Gretzinger On March 23, 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed the U.N. Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Nicaragua, urging the Nicaraguan Government to respect the basic human rights of Nicaraguans.[1] The country has faced civilian unrest and government oppression since 2018 under the “leadership” of President…

By Andrea Rosato Berlin’s city planning exists between two identities. The city is simultaneously known for its outstanding transportation system,[1] while also being the capital of the “country of cars.”[2] Now, there is a third player seeking space on Berlin’s roads: cyclists.[3] In 2018, cyclists achieved a major win with the passage of the Mobility…