UHLC Nota Bene

“Man’s inhumanity to man is not only perpetrated by the vitriolic actions of those who are bad. It is also perpetrated by the vitiating inaction of those who are good.” –Martin Luther King Jr.   Last week, I had the pleasure of attending  Professor Zachary D. Kaufman ’s presentation on  Lessons for Today from the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda  hosted by the  Johannesburg Holocaust & Geno cide Ce ntre . Among the many takeaways highlighted by Professor Kaufman and drawn from  Lessons from Rwanda: Post-Genocide Law and Policy   were ten simple yet profound lessons:   Lesson #1: Hate speech is dangerous.   To illustrate the role that hate speech played in the Rwandan genocide, Professor Kaufman discussed multiple forms of  propaganda , such as Kangura, Radio Rwanda, and RTLM “hate radio.”   He concludes that we must have limits, including with respect to social media, and further asserts that social media must do a better jo...

The O'Quinn Law Library collection now includes the 5th edition of Refugee Law and Policy: A Comparative and International Approach by Karen Musalo, Jennifer Moore, Richard Boswell and Annie Daher. Refugee Law and Policy: A Comparative and International Approach is, as its title suggests, a study of refugee law.  While written for a United States audience, this book examines new legal developments affecting refugees in Europe as much as it does those in Central America.  This book is primarily aimed at law students, but there is sufficient historical analysis to make this book of interet to academic researchers and to social scientists interested in current events involving large-scale refugee movements.  Attorneys might also appreciate the examinations of standards and practices if interested in beginning a refugee law practice.  The new changes to the 5th edition include analyses of gang violence as the cause of refugee emigration as well as discussions of per...

New to the O'Quinn Law Library collection is The Law & Politics of Brexit, a collection of essays on the 2016 Brexit Referendum edited by Federico Fabbrini. Legal researchers interested in Brexit, or in either British or European Union law using Brexit as a case study, might find this book useful.  There are four main sections, three of which are devoted to specific aspects of law.  The first addresses European Union membership law; the second addresses the potential legal consequences of Brexit for Engish, Scottish, and Northern Irish law (Welsh consequences are not addressed); the third addresses currency law, criminal law, and trade/labor law in the European Union, as well as hor Brixit will affect British law in these matters.  The final section focuses on political speculation rather than legal discussion, but is equally well-written and could still be of interest to legal scholars interested in Brexit generally. UH students students can access this book at t...

Bloomberg BNA has just published the 2016 edition of the U.S. International Tax Guide ( KF1276.A2H47 ), which is now available in the law library . This handbook is an excellent source for U.S. tax attorneys involved in international tax. It provides an overview of topics related to general principles of international taxation, taxation of foreign persons' U.S. activities and U.S. persons' foreign activities. Matters pertaining to U.S. income tax treaties, and withholding and compliance are also discussed. There are numerous examples available throughout this book that will illustrate international tax concepts. There are also annotations to relevant primary sources of tax law including the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, tax cases, administrative pronouncements, and the Internal Revenue Manual. This source is also available electronically on BloombergLaw.com .

The Law Library of Congress now provides free, online access to Treaties and Other International Agreements of The United States of America , a publication compiled by Charles Bevans.   The 13 volumes in this set include bilateral and multilateral treaties signed by the United States from 1776 to 1949. The set also includes a general index to help in locating relevant treaties.    The Law Library of Congress is also currently working to digitize treaties from 1950 to 1984, while newer treaties can be found on the US Department of State website . To access the treaties, visit the Law Library of Congress website .  

The US Department of State recently released the 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices .  These reports include information on the human rights practices of nearly 200 different countries and territories.  The reports cover several important issues including Respect for Integrity of the Person; Respect for Civil Liberties; Freedom to Participate in the Political Process; Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government; Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights; Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons; and Worker Rights.   The US Department of State website will allow researchers to view the reports by country or region as well as build reports to compare jurisdictions on the variety of issues listed above.  Reports can be viewed and built on this website going back to 2011.  However, the Department of State has been compiling these reports for 40 ye...

Edward Elgar (EE) has recently published the new two volume set, International Tax Law ( K4460.I59 2016 ) and is now available in the law library . Edited by Professor Reuven S. Avi-Yonah , this source contains articles from renowned scholars dealing with international taxation issues from a global standpoint and U.S international taxation. The twenty seven articles in this source discuss matters such as the structure of international taxation, international taxation of electronic commerce, foreign tax credits, issues related to the OECD , international tax arbitrage, and the issue of fairness as it relates to international taxation. This is perfect for the scholar or student interested in international taxation.

Over the weekend, the almost 200 countries participating in the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) reached an historic agreement regarding climate change.   The agreement contains provisions to limit the rise in global temperatures, to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and for wealthier countries to assist poorer countries with adapting to climate change and switching to renewable energy. However, the agreement will not enter into force until it has been ratified by 55 countries, which must represent at least 55% of global emissions.   The agreement will be open for signing on April 22, 2016.   To find out more about the conference and agreement, visit the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change website .   The entire text of the agreement is also available on their website.   

Oxford University Press recently launched a free, interactive History of International Law timeline.   It provides information about over 100 major events in the development of public international law including “the signing of major treaties, the foundation of fundamental institutions, the birth of major figures in international law and milestones in the development of some of the field’s best-known doctrines.”   The timeline covers over 500 years, starting with the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 and ending with the Arms Trade Treaty in 2014.      For each event, the timeline allows users to find out more about the topic by providing free access to portions of Oxford University Press resources such as Oxford Historical Treaties and the Max Planck Encyclopaedia of Public International Law as well as blog posts and journal articles.   For more information and to explore this resource, see The History of International Law website .  

The Department of State has just released the Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 , a report reviewing and analyzing international progress against terrorist activities.  It is available online from the state department’s website here ; previous years’ reports are available here .  The Country Reports on Terrorism reports are mandated by 22 U.S. Code § 2656f .  It has been an annual report since 2004, when it replaced the then-published Patterns of Global Terrorism report.  The new report maintains the non-statistical part of its terrorism review pursuant to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 ( P.L. 108–458 ), which transferred the statistical function to the National Counterterrorism Center.

This week the UN Human Rights Office announced a free database that includes case law issued by the UN human rights expert committees, known as the Treaty Bodies.   The Treaty Bodies monitor the implementation of core international human rights treaties and eight are authorized to hear complaints by individuals.   The new database, Jurisprudence , contains findings from the Human Rights Committee (CCPR), the Committee against Torture (CAT), the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).  This resource is a continuation and expansion of a database created by the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, which had not been updated since January 2014.   ...