Dr Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi and the ICC

(As the badge says, LSE exists "To know the causes of things" - like who wrote Saif al-Islam's thesis....)

I was asked the other day by a Middlebury undergrad who is writing a thesis on NATO's intervention in Kosovo for proof that international law exists - or is at least effective.* And whilst it is possible to make lots of theoretical arguments, there is nothing like a good practical example to demonstrate that international law has teeth by changing behaviours - most notably of those who would otherwise see themselves as beyond the reach of the law. 

Few in 2011 have been as far beyond the reach of the law as Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, especially after his "Rivers of Blood" speech on 21 Feb 11. Yet following military defeat and his indictment by the ICC, it is reported today that he has contacted the ICC through intermediaries to arrange his surrender to the Court. Naturally, the man that the ICC indictment refers to as the "de facto Prime Minister of Libya" protests his innocence, but it is telling that he's attempting to arrange his surrender - though clearly his limited other options and the absence of capital punishment make an ICC trial more attractive than being on the run in Libya.

And as for Saif al-Islam's PhD? Well, the London School of Economics** has referred its authorship to the University of London under the Procedure for Consideration of Allegations of Irregularity in Relation to University of London Awards. LSE now runs itself, but in 2008 when Saif al-Islam was awarded his PhD, it was still granting degrees via the University of London, and it is Senate House that will investigate the situation; a report is due later this year. At least there will be plenty of time for the ICC Registry to work out whether it needs to address its new defendant as "Dr Saif al-Islam" or simply "Mr. Gaddafi"....

*Eoin, I agree this is something of a simplification of your question.

** I loved my time at the LSE, and as painful as it is to see it's name blackened by the ill-judged Libyan connection, the Woolf Report should provide a solid foundation for transparency when it is published.

Birdcages!

(A Birdcage, SECR-style)

I've been reminded that there have been a lack of steam trains in this blog recently. An oversight. So it was very exciting to see the Bluebell Railway has completed the restoration of SECR "Birdcage" brake 3363, both because of the quality of the reconstruction - restoration seems far too narrow a term for what has been achieved in Sussex:

(3363 as she appeared in 1998 - hence "reconstruction")

So, the "Birdcage" glazed area provides a new vantage point for the important business of looking at steam engines.

With credit to Roger Carpenter for the pictures taken last Saturday, here's what that view looks like:

The locomotive in question is LBSCR Billinton Radial Tank, No. B473:

Enjoy!

Meanwhile, back in Yemen....

("So which bit of 'I'm still in charge' don't you get?")

2011: what a year for the UN Security Council. First with the passage of UNSCR 1970 and UNSCR 1973, the UN - with the support of the Arab League - authorised sanctions and then the use of force in Libya. Then the stop-and-start element came in with Russia and China vetoing a draft S/2011/612  over (extremely limited) action against Syria, and the moment was less optimistic. However, with the unanimous passage of UNSCR 2014 on 21 October on Yemen, and the direct support to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative that OP4 describes as:

"... inclusive, orderly, and Yemeni-led process of political transition, notes the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative by some opposition parties and the General People’s Congress, calls on all parties in Yemen to commit themselves to implementation of a political settlement based upon this initiative..."

The rest of UNSCR 2014 is full of sensible stuff about pushing along an implementation of the proposed settlement with President Saleh, but I was very taken with the not-quite-Chapter VII language of PP18:

"Mindful of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security under the Charter of the United Nations, and emphasizing the threats to regional security and stability posed by the deterioration of the situation in Yemen in the absence of a lasting political settlement,"

The UNSC etc etc...

So let's watch it. If Saleh doesn't accept the GCC proposals - which is not uncontroversial given then the GCC has included an immunity clause -  then the UNSC has said that they'll return to it. It will be very interesting to see how the next phase in Yemen develops.