Rights in Space

Some students have asked about recent news items about buying the moon. Here is the NPR program on MoonEstates, a company purporting to sell lunar real estate. Alas for would-be moonsteaders, I agree with the author in this blog comment that the nature of the moon as a common trust for mankid has passed into customary law even if a treaty silence permits a contrary construction.

Genocide

The ICJ will issue a decision next week on whether Serbia is guilty of violating the Convention Against Genocide in Bosnia in the '92-95 conflict.

Labeling killings as genocide is quite politically charged. Many students have read or are reading a book by Samantha Powers that details this struggle to recognize genocide. Atlantic Monthly also offered an article by Samantha Powers.

U.S. Asserts Rights in Space

Jurist exposes a statement, signed last summer, declaring the U.S. has rights to exclude hostile states from access to space. The conservative Heritage Foundation also commented on developments, especially in light of China's recent shooting down of a weather satellite. Read a nice summary of space law in this article on space law and commercial interests. Last June, the U.N. completed a review of peaceful uses of space. We will talk more about space law and the idea of a common heritage of mankind. (Photo NASA, 1972)