27 Dec It’s the final week of the course

LSTD507 International Law

Week 1 Forum

You tell a friend that you are taking an International Law class at APUS. The friend asks, “what exactly is International Law?” Tell your friend what International Law is and include the various sources of international law in your discussion. Before answering, conduct additional research at the APUS library and online.

Each week, your initial post is due by Wednesday. You should then respond to three (3) or more posts by Sunday. This can be accomplished by

· Validating with additional evidence from the literature.

· Posing a thoughtful question with commentary which generates further discussion.

· Providing an alternative point-of-view, with evidence and examples.

· Offering additional insight into how the concept might be understood, with evidence provided with real world examples.

You are expected to be active in the classroom throughout the week and actively engaged in the back-and-forth discussion between your colleagues and the professor. The forum grading rubric can be reviewed by clicking on the blue and white box beside the forum entry in the gradebook.

LSTD507 International Law

Week 2 Forum

For week 2, we are going to shift gears and study international customary and treaty laws associated with the use of force. This is obviously a very important International Law topic given the Global War on Terror since 9/11.

Discuss the internationally-recognized legal bases for the use of force, including both customary and treaty laws. What does the United States rely on as authority to use force in the Global War on Terror? Before answering, conduct additional research at the APUS library and online.

LSTD507 International Law

Week 3 Forum

The recognition of a state under International Law is a declaration of intent by one state to acknowledge another power as a “state” within the meaning of International Law. What are the elements of statehood under International Law? Is the existence of a state dependent on whether it has been recognized as such? Before answering, conduct additional research at the APUS library and online.

LSTD507 International Law

Week 4 Forum

As you’ve seen from the readings, International Law is comprised of various sources. Do all countries adhere to these sources? Can International Law be used to effectively resolve disputes?

Read the fact pattern below, and then answer the following: Should countries recognize the Hague Abduction Convention and International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act above the rights of its own citizens? Before answering, conduct additional research at the APUS library and online.`

US-Brazil Boy Custody Battle Ends

A US father has been reunited with his nine-year-old son after a bitter, five-year custody battle with the boy’s Brazilian relatives. David Goldman flew back to Florida with his son Sean after the Brazilian family brought the boy to the US consulate in Rio de Janero to be reunited with him. Sean was taken to Brazil by Mr Goldman’s now-deceased ex-wife. The case became a high-profile issue, stalling the passage of a trade bill with Brazil in the US Senate. Sean, wearing a yellow Brazil football shirt, was brought to the US consulate in line with a court deadline. He looked anxious as his stepfather and the family lawyer pushed through a crowd of jostling journalists, photographers and police officers. “This is a very difficult moment,” said his maternal grandmother, Silvana Bianchi. Mr Goldman’s US lawyer, Patricia Apy, was critical of how the handover was carried out. “Unfortunately, the Brazilian family, rather than have the hand-off take place in a garage, which would have been secure, parked away and walked him through the press, which only serves to make the situation more stressful for the child,” she told the Associated Press news agency. Mr Goldman and Sean made the journey back to Orlando, Florida, on a chartered private plane. Most media were kept far away. The head of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Gilmar Mendes, said on Tuesday that the boy should be returned to his father in accordance with a ruling by a lower court and international custody accords. The custody battle began when Mr Goldman’s wife, Bruna Bianchi, took Sean to her native Brazil ostensibly for a two-week holiday in 2004. She stayed, got a divorce and married a prominent lawyer, Joao Paulo Lins e Silva. Mr Goldman launched a legal fight to win custody of his son. When Ms Bianchi died in childbirth in 2008, Mr Lins e Silva continued the battle to keep Sean and won temporary custody. US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both pressed their Brazilian counterparts on the issue. Last week, the legal fight appeared over when a Brazilian appeals court ruled that Sean should be handed over to his father. But when another court ruled against this, US Senator Frank Lautenberg blocked renewal of a trade bill with Brazil. When news of the Supreme Court’s ruling came through, Sen Lautenberg lifted his opposition and the bill was passed unanimously. Silvana Bianchi said the custody issue had been decided by international pressure. (Source: BBC, Boy Reunited with U.S. Father after Brazil Custody Fight, BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8429659.stm).

LSTD507 International Law

Week 5 Forum

We switch gears this week and will look at the International Court of Justice. The impetus to create a world court, known today as the International Court of Justice, began because of the Hague Conferences of 1897 and 1907. Throughout its history, the Court has been controversial with questionable authority.

You have both a forum question as well as a written assignment to complete this week. The written assignment will be key for next week’s forum.

For your forum for this week, please discuss the following: Does the International Court of Justice lack any true enforcement powers thus rendering it ineffective? If so, should the Court be eliminated? Before answering, conduct additional research at the APUS library and online.

LSTD507 International Law

Week 6 Forum

Last week, you prepared a paper on the World Trade Organization. The paper, in part, was designed to assist in answering this week’s forum questions.

The United States, the European Union, and several rapidly growing developing countries are eagerly joining free trade agreements to lower or eliminate tariffs on goods that are important to them. However, these agreements appear to contravene the intent of the World Trade Organization, which is to reach multilateral agreements among all member states.

How do countries disregard the intent of the World Trade Organization and, are these trade agreements beneficial to overall world trade? Before answering, conduct additional research at the APUS library and online.

LSTD507 International Law

Week 7 Forum

Discuss the background of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and identify pros and cons associated with it. Did it make sense for the United States to withdraw from the Partnership shortly after President Trump took office?

LSTD507 International Law

Week 8 Forum

It’s the final week of the course and your papers are due this week. Before submitting your paper, ensure you followed the detailed instructions provided during week one.

For the forum, please briefly give me your thoughts on this course. What topics did you enjoy discussing the most? Which topics were not helpful? Finally, what topics were not covered that you would like to see included in this course? I appreciate your candid feedback, because it will help me to continue to improve this class!