International Review of Law - Volume 2015, Issue 1

Since the Lisbon Treaty's entry into force in 2009, the Common & Foreign Security Policy (CFSP) retains its intergovernmental character, although its legal status is no longer separate from but part of a single European Union (EU) framework. With particular focus on the United Kingdom's practice as a EU member state, this article examines the potential pressures which bear on the interplay between: (i) the CFSP's intergovernmental character; and (ii) the CFSP's current legal status within a single EU framework that established a semblance of institutional coherence; and (iii) the implications for conducting the UK's foreign relations, a consequence of its status at international law as an independent sovereign state. The article argues that pressures arise for the UK because of its legal obligations under UK law, EU law and international law, which potentially interlock, as distinct sources of law, with consequences for the flexible conduct of British foreign relations. This argument is illustrated through the case study of accession by the UK and EU (of which the UK is a member state), two separate legal persons at international law, to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Starting with peaceful protests of people demanding democratic reforms and fundamental rights from the regime in Damascus, the Syria crisis developed into a full-fledged civil war causing large-scale death, injury, and displacement. During the first year of the crisis, violence in Syria was marked by the brutal crackdown of regime forces on protesters. Confronted with a high degree of violence from state forces, opposition groups gradually organized politically and militarily. This article focuses on international legal obligations of armed opposition groups in the course of this crisis. Such obligations are clearly contained in international humanitarian law, and arguably also in international human rights law. In order to determine the applicable law, the classification of the situation as either an armed conflict or one of internal tensions and disturbances is fundamental but controversial. This article examines at what stage of the crisis international human rights obligations and international humanitarian law obligations of non-state armed groups became pertinent, and provides reasons why this is the case. It shall be argued that even before the Syria crisis turned into a non-international armed conflict, opposition groups were bound by fundamental rules of international human rights law. In addition to these rules, all parties to the armed conflict became bound by international humanitarian law once the situation reached a sufficient degree of violence, and the non-state groups a sufficient degree of organization. By examining the Syria crisis, this article shall show what these abstract criteria mean in practice.

Recent reports have confirmed damage to five of the six Syrian world heritage sites during the current armed conflict as well as extensive looting of several of its archaeological sites on the Syrian Tentative List of world heritage. This article examines the role and fate of Syrian world cultural heritage from the beginning of the conflict, maps out the different cultural property obligations applicable to Syria while illustrating, where possible, how they may have been violated. Then, it assesses if and how those responsible for these acts can be prosecuted and punished. The analysis reveals an accountability gap concerning crimes against Syrian world cultural heritage. As such, the article proposes to reinstate the debate over crimes against common cultural heritage which once arose in the context of the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

Recent market data and press reports seem to confirm a growing interest, including from the Gulf, for investments in private and listed companies in Italy. In taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the Italian market (including the disposal plans announced and in part already enacted by the Italian government), investors should be aware of some key legal issues and practical factors. This article briefly outlines some of these key legal issues and factors as they may apply to investors from the Gulf region. It first addresses some of the disclosure and mandatory tender offer obligations that may be triggered in connection with investments in companies listed in Italy. It then provides some legal and practical insights regarding shareholders' agreements, including certain related merger control considerations. It also provides a general overview of the new foreign investment control regime applicable to investments in the sectors of defense and national security, and in certain assets in the sectors of energy, transport and communications. Finally, it makes brief reference to the potential regulatory-specific approvals that may be required for investments in certain sectors and industries or in respect of certain assets. This article condenses the presentations and discussions that took place at the seminars hosted on this topic by Cleary Gottlieb in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in May 2014.

International humanitarian law is designed to deal with entities or countries, which are engaged in traditional conflicts between them (wars), also using traditional means and methods of fighting.

By witnessing the rise of new entities active at the international level (groups and militant organizations) which have been engaged in nonconventional and asymmetric conflicts with States or with each other, using new means and methods of fighting, as well as widening disparities of power and technological progress between countries themselves, necessitate the adaption of international humanitarian law in terms of texts and mechanisms of field application. Particlar focus on the principles of proportionality and distinction between civilians and military fighters is required.

عرض هذا البحث للإخلال المبتسر لعقد البيع العادي، وعقد التسليم على دفعات، في كل من اتفاقية فيينا لعقد البيع الدولي للبضائع 1980، ومبادئ اليونيدروا للعقود التجارية الدولية المعدلة لسنة 2010 من جهة، والقانونين المدني والتجاري القطريين من جهة ثانية. يهدف البحث، بشكل أساسي، إلى تأصيل نظرية الإخلال المبتسر للعقد في القانونين المدني والتجاري القطريين في ضوء القواعد الموحدة للبيوع الدولية، سعيا للوصول إلى مواطن الانسجام من عدمه. وخلص البحث إلى خلو القانون المدني القطري من تنظيم خاص لنظرية الإخلال المبتسر للعقد. ما يمكن معه الرجوع إلى القواعد العامة في نظرية العقد، ومصادر القانون الأخرى، التي تأذن بتطبيق مضمون هذه النظرية، وذلك دون الانتقاص من أهمية تعديل القانون المدني بما يفيد صراحة الأخذ بهذه النظرية. في المقابل، بيّن البحث قصور قانون التجارة القطري لسنة 2006 في معالجة عقد التسليم على دفعات؛ حيث اكتفت المادة (109) منه بإقرار مبدأ عام لفسخ هذا النوع من العقود، دون الإحاطة بأحكام فسخه، على خلاف الحال في اتفاقية فيينا لسنة 1980، والمبادئ العامة لمعهد اليونيدروا بشأن العقود التجارية الدولية. بناء عليه، وفي ظل الصياغة الحالية للمادتين (2) و(183) من قانون التجارة القطري، أظهر البحث عدم مكنة القاضي الوطني القطري الرجوع إلى المبادئ الموحدة لعقود التجارة الدولية لسنة 2010؛ لسد الفراغ التشريعي بشأن أحكام فسخ عقد التسليم على دفعات، ما لم يكن قد اتفق المتعاقدان على خلاف ذلك.

The article Related Article(s): ‘The “Right to Privacy” v. telecommunications interception and access: International regulations and implementations in the Arab Region’

by Yaser Khalaileh and Nazzal Kisswani, published in International Review of Law (2013:10) is for the most part identical in theory and concept to two other articles by Nazzal Kisswani;

‘Telecommunications (interception and access) and its regulation in Arab countries’ (Int. J. Liability and Scientific Enquiry, Vol.4, No.1 (2011)) [1] and ‘Telecommunications (interception and access) and its Regulation in Arab Countries’ (Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology Vol. 5, Issue 4 (2010)) [2]

The editorial board and publisher believe the paper belongs to the category of redundant publication. Redundant publications are also called repetitive publication and refer to the publication of copyrighted material that contains additional or new material. Thus, although it is not an exact copy of a previously published article, it contains parts of it.[3]

Redundant publications are unethical and represent an infringement of copyright laws, poor utilization of resources including reviewers’ and editors’ time and journal pages, overemphasizing results, and future interference with meta-analyses. The most common motive behind these types of publications involves academic advancement by apparently increasing productivity. [4]

In addition, the editors and publisher wish to add a note of concern about the possible misuse of plagiarism detection software at the authoring stage of the 2013 paper.

References

Kisswani N. Telecommunications (interception and access) and its regulation in Arab countries, Int. J. Liability and Scientific Enquiry, Vol.4, No.1 (2011)

Kisswani N. Telecommunications (interception and access) and its Regulation in Arab Countries, Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology Vol. 5, Issue 4 (2010)

Benos DJ, Fabres J, Farmer J, et al. Ethics and scientific publication. Advan Physiol Edu 2005;29:59 -74

Castillo M. Editor’s Comment: On Redundant and Duplicate Articles. American Journal of Neuroradiology. 2007;28(10):1841-1842.