Blogs are here! What should you expect?

Hello everyone!!!

       As of this week, regular substantive blog posts will begin. Each week will herald new blogs whose topics will range from a background of the ICJ to deeper analyses of key events and battles that comprise this case. The case at hand, the Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, is one that has many aspects made even more complicated by the fact that the case did not proceed to trial in real life. In order to effectively argue for either side of this case, Russia’s guilt or Georgia’s improper application to the court, you must employ an in depth knowledge of the case and the events surrounding it to come up with a legally grounded argument.

       The whole purpose of the blogs themselves, is to get you guys thinking about this problem from a variety of perspectives in order to eventually develop your points of view as judges in the ICJ  in accordance with your assigned country policies. To meet this goal, we strongly encourage you to actively engage with questions that may be posed in the blogs and to make use of the comment section to discuss various points of view with your fellow judges.

       While getting into a different frame of mind might be difficult, particularly for those with no prior experience in the ICJ, we hope that engaging with these blogs will help you guys not only formulate your arguments, but also become more comfortable with the ICJ in general.


Best,
Ashwin

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tensions in South Ossetia

Image
Hi delegates! This blog post will be reviewing the role of South Ossetia in the conflict between Georgia and Russia, specifically focusing on the events of 2008 and ethnic conflict within the region.                 For reference, South Ossetia is located along the Georgian-Russian border. Separatist sentiments have been brewing within South Ossetia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The region of Ossetia, as seen in the map, is split between Georgia and Russia. Both North and South Ossetia are primarily occupied by Ossetians, a unique ethnic group which speaks neither Georgian nor Russian. However, South Ossetia had a significant population of ethnic Georgians living within the region before the conflict; the treatment of ethnic Georgians in the region is one of the central issues which our case will be studying.                 While South Ossetia and Abkhazia are both contested territories, South Ossetia is unique because it is located near the Georgia
Read more

Legal Terms for Georgia v. Russia

Hi Delegates!  I hope your February has gotten off to a spectacular start.  By now, you've hopefully begun perusing materials related to Georgia v. Russia , and more likely than not have been encountering a thick web of legalese to sort through while you research.  Have no fear--below is a short list of a few of the most relevant legal terms to know to make your reading a bit easier and your understanding of the case a bit better. Prima facie: based on the first impression.  This is generally a fact or circumstances that are accepted as established unless proven otherwise.  Example: "...the Court explains that it is for it to determine prima facie whether a dispute within the meaning of Article 22 of CERD exists." ( Request for the indication of provisional measures, ICJ Summary of the Order , 4)  Provisional measures: Provisional measures for protection are interim, or temporary orders issued by the ICJ that are roughly analogous to restraining orders.  Issued orde
Read more

Verdicts: What are they and how do they work?

Image
One of the key differences between the ICJ and other committees is that the ICJ does not concern itself with resolutions. Instead, as judges of the court, you will be expected to formulate Verdicts at the end of debate. Verdicts are documents that judges of the ICJ use to declare their ruling on the case. Just as a resolution is a reasoned reflection of one’s stance in committee, so too is the Verdict the culmination of arguments and evidence made throughout the course of the conference. In order to form your Verdicts, you will form a group of 4 or 5 with other fellow judges and write your Verdicts during unmoderated caucus sessions in the latter part of committee. Verdicts in the ICJ at BMUN should be comprised of three primary sections: Overall Ruling, Evidence, and Legal Precedent and Implications. The Overall Ruling section deals with presenting your group’s ruling in terms of the four Levels of Guilt**. Here, explicitly address the Levels of Guilt your group has chosen to app
Read more