After September 11th: What We Still Don’t Know
BY DAVID COLE, The New York Review of Books

Much has changed since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In addition to the two wars the United States has engaged in, the American response to the terrorist attacks have further tested the boundaries of law. In this new era, civil liberties have often been sacrificed in favor of preserving national security. While the Supreme Court and the Obama administration have sometimes stood up to past overreaching by the Bush administration, the failure to acknowledge wrongdoing is troublesome and tears at the foundation of the rule of law.

The UN Vote and Palestinian Statehood
BY ROBERT M. DANIN, Foreign Affairs

The UN vote regarding Palestinian statehood is one of the most anticipated upcoming international law events. If Palestine attains statehood, its leverage in negotiating with Israel will be greatly enhanced because Palestine will be negotiating as an internationally recognized State instead of a provisional body or non-state entity. Moreover, statehood would provide the opportunity for Palestine to resort to legal recourse at the UN Security Council and International Court of Justice and could also allow Palestine to become a signatory of the Rome Statute, thereby allowing Palestine to gain access to the International Criminal Court. Nevertheless, such a bold move by Palestine could actually do more harm than good, as the United States, Israel, and parts of Europe do not support Palestine’s current bid for statehood.