#international-law
63 episodes
#3889: What the UN Actually Does (And Who Would Fill the Gap)
A stress test on the UN's actual operational footprint — what would break, what wouldn't, and who's already doing it better.
#3669: The Dewey Decimal System for Things That Go Boom
Standardized codes that let investigators, diplomats, and deminers speak the same language about munitions.
#3668: White Phosphorus: The Weapon That Won't Stop Burning
How white phosphorus evades legal bans, which militaries use it, and why its effects devastate civilians.
#3634: When Building Your Own Island Goes Wrong
A real estate mogul tried to build a libertarian utopia on artificial islands. A king showed up with convicts and a brass band.
#3412: What Would the UN’s Architects Think of It Today?
Was the UN designed to work—or just to survive? A look at its original purpose vs. today’s reality.
#3407: How the UN Picks Biased Rapporteurs for Israel
Why does the UN keep appointing human rights rapporteurs with pre-existing biases against Israel? The answer is structural.
#3317: The Invisible Line: Settlements Beyond the Green Line
Why international law says settlements are illegal, and how Israel justifies them.
#3256: The Seasteading Dream That Sank
Silicon Valley tried to build floating nations. The ocean and the law had other plans.
#3208: How Do You Weigh Smoke? Measuring Corruption Across 4,000 Years
From ancient Sumer to modern Israel—how humans have tried to quantify the unquantifiable.
#3206: The Free Speech Fault Line: UK's Ban on Piker & Uygur
Why free speech absolutists defend letting controversial figures into the UK — and what history says about hate speech and violence.
#3181: When Lawyers Speak for Nations: The Fiction of One Voice
How do lawyers claim to speak for millions who disagree? The strange fiction behind international law.
#3159: How Bankruptcy Works Differently in the US vs. Israel
Two countries, two radically different philosophies on debt, failure, and second chances.
#3156: The 2,000-Year Campaign to Ban Brit Milah
Belgium may ban non-medical circumcision for minors. This isn't new — states have tried for two millennia.
#3153: Law as Fallback vs Minimalist Codes
How Japan and the US take opposite approaches to legal codes — and what AI regulation reveals about the tradeoffs.
#3152: When Law Didn't Need God
Did the first secular law code permit dismembering debtors? Tracing law's 4,000-year shift from divine command to human reason.
#3151: When Courts Need a Conscience: Equity vs Law Explained
Why England built a second court system—and what Israel does instead.
#3142: Three Legal Pillars of Israeli West Bank Policy
How Israel's government legally justifies military courts, settlements, and the occupation itself under international law.
#3139: How Arms Embargoes Actually Work (or Don't)
Embargoes sound decisive, but the machinery underneath is full of asterisks. Here's how they really work.
#3134: 9,200 Palestinian Detainees: Inside Israel’s Dual Legal System
Over half of Israel’s prison population are Palestinian security detainees—many held without charge.
#3035: The Speeding Ticket That Explains the West Bank
Who writes your ticket in the West Bank depends on who you are, not just where you are.
#3013: East Jerusalem's In-Between Status: Residency Without Citizenship
Permanent residency in Israel isn't a path to citizenship. For East Jerusalemites, it's a trap that can be revoked.
#2766: How Israeli Airport Security Works Abroad
How Israeli security agents legally question passengers at foreign airports — and why they can't arrest anyone.
#2611: Saturday Drums vs Quiet Homes: Protest Rights in Residential Areas
When weekly protests become a permanent neighborhood soundscape, how do democracies balance assembly rights with residents' quiet enjoyment?
#2552: The IAEA's Only Weapon: Credibility
The IAEA has fewer inspectors, less access, and more enrichment to verify in Iran than ever before.