Reposted by Rain LiivojaAsia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security — APILS @apils.org · 07/10/2026This week, Opinio Juris is publishing a series of posts analysing the recent report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems. Part 1. Introduction: opiniojuris.org/2026/10/05/s...opiniojuris.orgSymposium on the CCW GGE LAWS: The End of the Beginning – An Introduction[Jessica Dorsey is an Assistant Professor of International Law at Utrecht University School of Law and Managing Editor of Opinio Juris. Rain Liivoja is a Professor at the University of Qu… 001
Reposted by Rain LiivojaDouglas Guilfoyle @djag2.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Academic selfie: at #ANZSIL2026 with @liivoja.com @anhertogen.bsky.social, Monique Cormier and Alison Duxbury. All the ANZSIL council office holders in a row! 052
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/06/2026The inevitable challenge to UK's social media ban for under-16s under the Human Rights Act / European Convention on Human Rights is going to be fascinating www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...theguardian.comStarmer confirms social media ban for under-16s, saying this is a ‘big moment for our country’ – UK politics livePrime minister defends going for full ban, saying social media is making children unhappy and unsafe 010
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 23/09/2025Misleading headline — there's no international framework; rather some kind of a framework for international students. *But* the story helpfully shows the Gov't continuing struggle to grasp why int'l students come to metropolitan unis and why rents increase futurecampus.com.au/2025/09/20/h...futurecampus.com.auNew International Framework Aims to Reshape Australian HEA new framework for international education is set to reposition the sector. 040
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/09/2025Health care professionals in Melbourne have been denied an opportunity to discuss the impact of war on children's health — seemingly to appease supporters of Israel. Seriously? www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...theguardian.comComplaint letter emerges after Melbourne hospital’s decision to cancel ‘children and war’ panel angers staffExclusive: Letter to CEO argued event would pose a risk of ‘moral injury, vicarious trauma and harmful workplace behaviours’ to staff and patients 010
Reposted by Rain LiivojaAsia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security — APILS @apils.org · 09/09/2025We have published a report of the 3rd Expert Meeting on the Legal Review of Autonomous Weapon Systems held in March 2025. The report provides an insight into current State practice on legal reviews, and a snapshot of non-governmental initiatives and scholarly contributions doi.org/10.5281/zeno... 011
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 07/09/2025The debacle at ANU must be enormously distressing for colleagues over there. Senior leaders still fail to grasp that a university's two biggest assets are its people and its reputation. And if you lose one, you also lose the other www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...thesaturdaypaper.com.auExclusive: Inside the Australian National University’s leadership crisisAmid mounting scandals and a loss of confidence in her management, the Australian National University vice-chancellor is negotiating an exit from her role. 082
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 07/09/2025If true, this means that Russian authorities will have written records of the political views and activities of these asylum seekers on their return to Russia. Yet we all know what Putin's regime does to dissident. Some of these people will likely die in some penal colony in Siberia 194
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 07/09/2025Concise explanation from @aapfactcheck.bsky.social as to why the recognition of the State of Palestine does not breach international law. I'm glad to have been able to contribute a few comments 34618
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 16/08/2025The good folks at TWAIL Review maintain a helpful list of readings on #internationallaw and #Palestine, which includes writings by—*checks notes*—actual Palestinian scholars twailr.com/internationa...twailr.comInternational Law & the Question of Palestine: A Reading ListA resource for anyone researching, teaching or writing about international law’s impacts, iniquities and incapacities in Palestine. 11610
Reposted by Rain LiivojaAustralian and New Zealand Society of International Law @anzsil.org · 16/08/2025Join us for a joint IILAH/MCF/ILA/ANZSIL OIELIG webinar on the 2025 UN Oceans Conference — Reflections on Proposed Actions to Sustainably Use the Oceans, on 20 August 2025, at 1–2PM AEST / 3–4PM NZST #internationallaw www.eventbrite.com.au/e/iilah-webi...eventbrite.com.auIILAH Webinar: The 2025 United Nations Oceans ConferenceThe 2025 United Nations Oceans Conference – Reflections on Proposed Actions to Sustainably Use the Oceans 001
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/08/2025This does help explain Judge Sebutinde's recent dissents regarding Palestine. But divine revelation is not really a recognised method of interpreting international law www.middleeasteye.net/news/icj-vic...middleeasteye.netICJ vice-president: 'The Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel'Judge Julia Sebutinde says signs of the end times 'are being shown in the Middle East' 140
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/08/2025With NATO #CCDCOE support, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Aleksi Kajander and Maarja Naagel on a project looking at the legal requirements and tech standards for the #cybersecurity of weapon systems. Our paper is now out in OUP's Journal of Cybersecurity academic.oup.com/cybersecurit... 020
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 16/03/2025How far down the path to a constitutional crisis does this take the US? www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/u...nytimes.comBrown University Surgeon and Professor Are Deported to Lebanon Despite a Judge’s OrderDr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist and Brown University professor who had a valid visa, was expelled in apparent defiance of a court order. 010
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 27/01/2025So coffee is about to become more expensive in the US? That's tough. Lucky cocaine isn't subject to tariffs — that would really cause havoc on Wall Street.nytimes.comTrump Hits Colombia With Tariffs in Feud Over Military Deportation FlightsGustavo Petro said the United States should not treat Colombian migrants as criminals and that he had already turned away U.S. military flights carrying deportees. 040
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 27/01/2025Judges occasionally use academic writings as unpaid and uncredited research assistance, which is unfortunate. But this is next level — both in terms of the source and the way in which it is used. Also, terrible for the credibility of the ICJ at a critical time 031
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 26/01/2025A notable numerologist and financial wizard now lectures us on space travel and Australian history. What extraordinary talent we have in the Australian parliament! 180
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 24/01/2025Let me see if I have this right. It would be inappropriate for a Foreign Minister, who has shown compassion for the Palestinians, to take part in commemorating the suffering of the Jews? And this is coming from a person who accuses everybody else of being divisive? The irony is lost on no oneabc.net.auDutton says Wong should not represent Australia at Auschwitz commemorationThe opposition leader said the government's stance on the Gaza war made the foreign minister "the most inappropriate person" to attend. 071
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 05/01/2025Salaries of senior university executives are certainly obscene. But — chronic public underfunding has forced universities to be entrepreneurial and operate like businesses. The corporate salaries mirror that change 010
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 23/12/2024This would also be beneficial in Australia, where politicians overwhelmingly serve the interests of older voters. But, for the same reason, it seems unlikely 010
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 23/12/2024So an invasion of Panama and Denmark are now on the US government'a agenda for 2025? Super 1102
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 22/12/2024While the buck stops with Putin, the Russian population isn't blameless. As @andrewchak.bsky.social points out, the majority of Russians approve of Putin's imperialism w/r/t Ukraine. For them, "invading another country to seize land and subjugate its people doesn’t even register as problematic." 191
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 22/12/2024Dear Australian journalists — if you're writing about a judicial decision, for the love of all that's holy, please provide a link to the actual decision (not just your earlier thoughts on the same case, as insightful as those might be). Thank you! 020
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 21/12/2024Important study with some really interesting results. I assume that the difference across age groups reflects the increasing willingness to self-identify and self-report at LGBT+. We've come a long way 🌈 160
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 21/12/2024I didn't always agree with Michael Leunig but I frequently found his work insightful and often just delightfully heartwarming. He will be missed. This piece, Kindness, has always been one of my favourites. I was so pleased to get a signed and inscribed print for someone who was important to me. 220
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 20/12/2024Supposedly "this case presents the kind of violence that requires an additional message of deterrence to prevent copycat killers." Hence, the label of terrorism. The US criminal justice works in mysterious ways. 130
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 17/12/2024Insightful piece from the team at @sipri.bsky.social about the China-led assault (my words, not theirs) on export control regimes. Conveniently, this takes place under the guise of a putative right to benefit from international cooperation in science and technology for peaceful uses. 000
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 17/12/2024Here's a thoughtful piece about three possible future scenarios for Georgia — the bad, the ugly, and good, I suppose 021
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 16/12/2024Check out the call for papers for the 32nd ANZSIL Annual Conference — International Law: Silence, Forgetting and Remembrance: www.anzsil.org.au/32nd-ANZSIL-... We'll be freezing our hineys off in Canberra 2–4 July 2025 but the incredible ANZSIL spirit will make it worthwhile! 040
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 16/12/2024Israel's annexation of parts of Golan Heights in 1981 was, and continues to be, a breach of international law (as per Security Council resolution 497). The same applies to further annexations of Syrian territory and new settlement. This is a blatant and illegal land grab.bbc.comIsrael to expand Golan Heights settlements after fall of AssadIsrael says the move is necessary following the takeover of neighbouring Syria by an Islamist-led rebel alliance. 086
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/12/2024Who comes up with these kinds of headlines? Ireland is not humiliated. Ireland is standing out as a country that has a principled and values-based approach to foreign policy.express.co.ukIreland humiliated as Israel closes Dublin embassy over 'anti-semitic rhetoric'Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar says the closure is due to the 'extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish Government' and 'anti-semitic rhetoric'. 1162
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/12/2024Israel's foreign minister claims that Ireland's recognition of the State of Palestine and its participation in ICJ proceedings against Israel constitute “extreme anti-Israel policies”. No — “extreme policies” are those that the Netanyahu government has been carrying out in Gaza.nytimes.comIsrael Shutters Its Embassy in Ireland, Citing ‘Anti-Israel Policies’Amid mounting international criticism of its military conduct in Gaza, Israel says it will deepen ties with countries it considers friendly toward it. 092
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 15/12/2024Two Russian oil tankers have reportedly broken in half and started sinking in the Kerch Strait. I am instantly reminded of this classic piece of Australian televisionyoutu.beClarke and Dawe - The Front Fell Off [DVD Quality]YouTube video by GrayT! 072
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 13/12/2024Is the actual aim here to kill and maim people with vaccine-preventable diseases? Do Kennedy and Siri own funeral homes and hospitals that would profit from this needless death and suffering? I can't think of any other rational explanationnytimes.comRFK Jr.’s Lawyer Has Asked the FDA to Revoke Polio Vaccine ApprovalAaron Siri, who specializes in vaccine lawsuits, has been at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s side reviewing candidates for top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. 230
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 13/12/2024Yikes, I missed the news that Queensland Health somehow misplaced a large number of virus samples. Especially in a country obsessed with biosecurity, this seems like a serious mishapabc.net.auLive virus samples lost in major Queensland lab breachAn investigation has been launched after it was revealed 323 virus samples went missing from Virology Laboratory in 2021 in a "major breach" of biosecurity protocol. 030
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 13/12/2024Ben Saul is absolutely right about Israel's bombardment of Syria: "There is absolutely no basis under international law to preventively or preemptively disarm a country you don't like."youtu.beUN experts say Israeli strikes on Syria violate international lawYouTube video by Middle East Eye 096
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 13/12/2024The latest in a series of cases where Australian courts, following UK courts, refuse to consider the hiring of domestic workers to be part of a diplomatic agent's official functions. Accordingly, immunity rationed materiae does not apply to employment disputes once the diplomatic agent leaves officejudgments.fedcourt.gov.auDanaratna v Arunatilaka (Penalty) [2024] FCA 1431 163
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 12/12/2024I had a sobering conversation with one of my PhD students today. They had reached the conclusion that academia is no longer an attractive post-PhD career option. I fear that they are right 191
Reposted by Rain LiivojaPOLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 09/12/2024Kaja Kallas has a reputation as one of Europe’s fiercest Russia hawks. The question hanging over her now is to what extent she’ll be able to continue to make waves in her new role as the EU's foreign policy chief. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/kaja... 1014228
Reposted by Rain LiivojaDouglas Guilfoyle @djag2.bsky.social · 09/12/2024Come join us! Yes, someone put me and @imogenmarjorie.bsky.social in charge of conference. The call for papers is out for ANZSIL 2025. Theme: "International Law: Silence, Forgetting and Remembrance". Submissions close 10 February* *before inevitable extensions anzsil.org.au/32nd-ANZSIL-... 33621
Reposted by Rain LiivojaVerfassungsblog @verfassungsblog.de · 09/12/2024The AI Act's national security exception raises legal and practical challenges. PLIXAVRA VOGIATZOGLOU argues that it might contravene CJEU case law and prove difficult to implement. verfassungsblog.de/the-ai-act-n... 085
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 09/12/2024Could someone please recommend right-of-centre news outlets that engage in thoughtful, serious journalism? I genuinely want to diversify the viewpoints that I'm exposed to but I don't want to wade through anti-scientific, fascist, homo/transphobic etc propaganda. Much obliged 020
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 08/12/2024Assad may be out of reach (for now) but those who tortured and murdered at his behest also need to be held accountable news.un.org/en/story/202...news.un.orgReport exposes systematic torture in Syrian detention facilitiesThe UN General Assembly-mandated team investigating serious crimes in Syria released a new report on Friday, documenting systematic torture and abuse across over 100 Government detention facilities. 0121
Rain Liivoja @liivoja.com · 08/12/2024With Assad reportedly fresh off the plane in Moscow, Putin's regime is already trying to cosy up to the rebels — presumably in the hope of saving Russian military bases in Syria www.bbc.com/news/live/cw...bbc.comAssad is in Moscow after fleeing Syria and will be given asylum, Russian state media reportRussia was a key ally of Assad's regime - the former president and his family will now reportedly get asylum there. 050