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By Ryan Rainey On Nov. 8, a Brazilian judge ordered the release of former President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva from a federal prison.[1] The order followed a decision from Brazil’s highest court to allow criminal defendants to avoid imprisonment while they await the outcome of their appeals.[2] Lula’s criminal

By Jenna Jonjua On Monday, November 4, 2019, the Trump administration served notice of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement to the United Nation.[1] In doing so, the U.S., only second in greenhouse gas emissions[2], begins the process of breaking from nearly every other country on the planet, a group

By Elizabeth Frazier The Trump administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, reimposing a sanctions regime on Iran in the months that followed.[1] In contrast to economic sanctions authorized by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, unilateral sanctions are

By: Jacky Arness In August of this year, President Donald Trump made an offer to purchase Greenland from Denmark.[1] Though the ensuing conduct of the President was, arguably, absurd,[2] this is not the first time that the United States has attempted to acquire the world’s largest island.[3] In fact, such

By Scott May On September 11, 2019, Governor General Julie Payette dissolved the Canadian Parliament on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, initiating a six-week political sprint to the federal election on October 21, when Canadians from Québec to British Columbia will cast their ballots to decide which party

By Lauren Russ In August, President Trump renewed fears of an attack on Birthright Citizenship when he confirmed at a press conference that he is “seriously” considering ending[1] the Constitutionally protected right to citizenship for individuals born in the United States. [2] While the President has not yet acted on

By Brennan Lee Non-Lethal Weapons (NLW) “are explicitly designed and primarily employed so as to incapacitate personnel or materiel, while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the environment.”[1] Despite the name, Non-Lethal Weapons do not include “any complete assurance against lethal effects of the