#international-law
97 episodes
#5567: The Sinai Crossing Where a Stamp Draws the Border
A 24-hour pedestrian crossing between Eilat and Taba, where a free stamp, a one-kilometer fee waiver, and four treaty zones shape every trip into S...
#5531: Crayon Lines and Custom Posts: How Border Precision Creates Absurdity
A wax pencil drawn across a 1948 map became Jerusalem's binding border. Ghajar's line is precise but unmarked. What makes a border real?
#5530: Jerusalem's Pencil Line: 1948–1967
Two commanders drew a ceasefire line in wax pencil in 1948. It became a city's border for nineteen years.
#5510: Six Churches, One Roof, 270 Years of Deadlock
Six churches share Jerusalem's holiest sites — and none can move a chair without the other five agreeing. Here's how that happened.
#5500: Eight Consulates That Answer to No One
Eight countries keep consulates in Jerusalem that bypass their own Tel Aviv embassies. The reason goes back four centuries.
#5364: The Emergency Note You Hope You Never Need
Penicillin in Bangkok, paracetamol in London, Adderall at customs. What actually goes in the note on your phone?
#5341: The Bankruptcy Stone and the Debtor Blacklist
From Florence's stone of scandal to China's debtor blacklist, a tour of the world's most degrading insolvency rituals — and why the U.S. version is...
#5308: Can You Legally Call Yourself "The Most Noble"?
Diplomats assume "Excellency." So why can't anyone claim "The Most Noble"—and would Amazon deliveries make it stick?
#5307: Selling Holy Air and Moon Deeds
Moon deeds, bottled Banff air, and a proposal to sell Holy Air from Jerusalem — what makes novelty gifts actually work?
#5293: Air Koryo and the ICAO Alignment Problem
What flying North Korea's flag carrier actually feels like — and why a cut-off state still shows up to ICAO meetings.
#5267: When Rights Exist Only on Paper
A warranty, a lease, and a long drive: why laws that exist don't always protect the people they name.
#5234: How Tribal Police, Beit Din, and Sharia Courts Share Power
Tribal police, rabbinic courts, and consensual arbitration all operate under one state — here's the legal plumbing that keeps it from fragmenting.
#5181: Shuafat: Jerusalem's Walled-Off Refugee Camp
Inside the Jerusalem camp that's within the city limits but beyond the barrier — taxed by the city, policed by no one.
#5180: Egypt's Gaza and Israel's Jerusalem: Two Legal Suspensions
Egypt ruled Gaza for 19 years without annexing it. Israel applied full law to East Jerusalem in 1967. Two occupied places, two very different legal...
#5150: Gaza's Hunger Numbers: What the Data Actually Shows
Famine classification fights obscure simpler questions: how many children are acutely malnourished, and what does the data actually show?
#4956: Settlements Under Law: Israel, the West Bank, and the ICJ
The ICJ says settlements are illegal. Israel says the land is disputed. Here's both legal arguments.
#4950: The Siege: Ancient Warfare’s Darkest Tactic
From Roman circumvallation to Gaza — how sieges became war crimes, yet persist.
#4948: Why Mercenaries Keep Wars Going
How for-profit armies become stakeholders in endless war.
#4946: When Settler Violence Became a Pattern
How a 90% closure rate on complaints reveals a system designed for impunity.
#4945: What Actually Counts as a War Crime?
A ground-up look at IHL, the Geneva Conventions, and where the law leaves room for genuine disagreement.
#4938: What's the Point of War Laws?
Exploring the tension between clear treaty obligations and fuzzy battlefield enforcement.
#4937: Proportionality Under International Law: What It Actually Means
The legal definition of proportionality is nothing like what you hear in news coverage. Here's what the law actually says.
#4936: The 4,000-Year History of International Law
From a stone treaty in Mesopotamia to the UN. How did promises between states become law?
#4935: How the World Court Actually Works (via a Genocide Case)
South Africa vs. Israel as a map of the ICJ’s jurisdiction, provisional measures, and enforcement gap.