In an opinion piece article published in the New York Times on 5th February 2014 and titled “Courts Can’t End Civil Wars” Thabo Mbeki[1] and Mahmood Mamdan[2] make an argument about the place of courts in post conflict situations[3]. In the article the writers argue that courts have little, if any role, to play in post conflict situations. Rather than dealing with the messy issue of justice and accountability for the perpetrators, they argue that the international community ought to forget the past and move on to building a better society. Continue reading
Category Archives: International Law
LGBT Rights: Colonisation and International Human Rights Standards
Written by Garima Tiwari
While 18 countries, home to more than 10 percent of the world’s population, now recognize same-sex marriage, 77 countries still outlaw sodomy.[i] In seven of these countries, same-sex acts are punishable by death! Just recently, the Supreme Court of India reinstated a sodomy law recriminalizing same-sex relationships in a country home to 1.2 billion people. [ii] Max Fisher says that, “That’s more than the combined populations of the next 20 most-populous countries where same-sex acts are criminalized. If we assume that rates of homosexuality are consistent worldwide, then the number of gay men and women who can be jailed for their sexuality may well have just doubled.”[iii] Continue reading
Infographic: Armed Conflicts 1946-2013
Have you ever wondered how many armed conflicts there’ve been since 1946 and what impact they had? Or maybe you’re interested in how many conflicts there are now and what states remain conflict-free? Suit up! A Contrario has prepared the infographics on armed conflicts since 1946 up to now that includes the most up-to-date information that will help you find the answers you are looking for.
A Contrario ICL 
