[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Occupation, Intervention and Law and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the O.I.L. Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each biweekly roundup to OIL@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every other week.]
Libya
Libya Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni Resigns, BBC News
In hopes of allowing the Libyan parliament to select a new government, Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni and his cabinet have resigned.
US Officials: Egypt, UAE Behind Airstrikes in Libya, Associated Press
Anonymous US officials have reported that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are behind a number of recent air strikes against Islamist groups in Libya.
It's Time to Reconsider the Al-Senussi Case (But How?), Kevin Jon Heller
Heller revisits the dispute between Libya and the International Criminal Court over jurisdiction to try Gadaffi intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi in light of the current lack of a functioning Libyan government.
ISIS/Islamic State
ISIS is America's Legacy in Iraq, Tom Engelhardt
Engelhardt describes ISIS and similar militant Islamic groups in Iraq as the "spawn of Washington," noting that many of its leaders are former members of the Iraqi army disbanded by the United States in the wake of its invasion of Iraq, were radicalized in US prisons such as Camp Bucca, and "gained experience" fighting the US for years following its initial invasion of Iraq.
Who Can Stop the “Islamic State”?, Mohssen Massarrat
Writing in MRZine, Massarrat calls for a regional approach to defeating IS, suggesting that a concert between Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey can stop the advance of the IS much more effectively than any US or European action, which will only be the excuse for more violent destabilization of the region.
Militants Add Cluster Bombing to Tactics, Rights Group Says, Rick Gladstone
Human Rights Watch reports Islamic State has used banned cluster bombs to attack Kurdish militias in Aleppo indiscriminately.
Once Again, Militants Use Guantanamo-Inspired Orange Suit in an Execution, Dan Lamothe
Lamothe, writing for The Washington Post, provides an history of, and overview of the motivations behind Islamic State and other militant groups forcing captives to wear orange jump suits reminiscent of those worn by Guantanamo detainees.
ISIS Says It Killed Steven Sotloff After US Strikes in Northern Iraq, Mark Landler, Eric Schmitt
The New York Times reports on the ISIS beheadings of American hostages Steven J. Sotloff and James Foley.
Obama Expands Air Strikes Against Islamic State, Reuters
Following five air strikes against Islamic State carried out near the Haditha Dam in Iraq, US President Barack Obama has announced an air strike campaign to further target the group.
Syria
American Woman is Being Held Hostage in Syria, Lara Jakes
Islamic State is holding an American humanitarian aid worker hostage in Syria, reports the Associated Press.
In Aleppo, Rebels Back US Strikes Against Jihadists, Agence France Presse
AFP reports on Syrian rebels expressing support for a then-potential US airstrike against Islamic State.
Fleeing the War in Syria to Seek Sanctuary in Europe, Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi
Too many European countries do too little to protect the human rights of refugees from Syria, writes Omonira-Oyekanmi for New Left Project.
UN Says Syrian Death Toll More Than 191,000, Al Jazeera English
Outgoing UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has criticized world leaders for inaction, accusing their governments of "paralysis" in the face of 191,369 deaths.
Tense Relations Between U.S. and anti-Assad Syrian Rebels, Roy Gutman, Mousab Alhamadee
Reporting for McClatchy, the authors discuss how the covert US arming program has been working with individual commanders of battle-groups within Syria, arming and training up to 40,000 soldiers.
Palestine/Israel
Iran Says it Shot Down Israeli Drone, Al Jazeera English
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims it has shot down a Israeli drone near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
Gaza Ceasefire: Israel and Palestinians Agree to Halt Weeks of Fighting, Harriet Sherwood, Hazem Balousha
The Guardian reports on an indefinite ceasefire between Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority brokered by Egypt on 26 August.
US Condemnds Israeli Expropriation of West Bank Land, Anne Gearan
The Washington Post reports on Israeli plans to seize one thousand acres in the West Bank for the purpose of expanding settlements near Bethlehem and "unusually harsh" criticism of the plan from the United States.
When Settlers Dream, Jeff Sparrow
Writing in Jacobin, Sparrow explores parallels between the colonization of Tasmania and Israeli policy in Palestine, situating both within a framework of settler-colonial expansion and the destruction of indigenous sovereignty.
How to Boycott Israel: Updated Guidelines for Academics, Ali Abunimah
Abunimah reports on the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel updating its guidelines on how to boycott Israel culturally and academically.
Law/Human Rights
Blackwater Trial Reaches Emotional and Legal Climax as Prosecution Rests, Dan Roberts
The prosecution, charging three former Blackwater security contractors with manslaughter and another with murder, rested on 27 August in one of few cases in which Americans have been tried for civilian deaths in Iraq.
Federal Appeals Court Hears Arguments Over NSA's Bulk Collection of Phone Records, Ellen Nakashima
A federal appeals court in New York has heard oral arguments in a statutory and constitutional challenge to the National Security Agency metadata collection program.
A New Tactic to Avoid War Powers Resolution Time Limits, Jack Goldsmith
Writing for Lawfare, Goldsmith explores the possibility that the Obama Administration is sending War Powers Resolution letters to Congress regarding US use of force in Iraq at an unusually frequent rate as a legal strategy to circumvent time limits on the use of force enumerated in Section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.
Columbia Law Professor Reads U. of Illinois the Riot Act, Katherine M. Franke
In an open letter published on Louis Proyect's blog, Franke, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School, declines an invitation to speak at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in protest of the University's firing of Palestinian-American professor Steven Salaita, calling the dismissal a legal "catastrophe."
Maryam al-Khawaja's Arrest Shows Bahrain at its Worst, Sara Yasin
Yasin defends al-Khawaja, a Bahraini human rights activist arrested 30 August for leading a campaign naming and shaming government officials behind torture in Bahrain and "insulting the king," against the charges she is currently held for and calls Western countries friendly with Bahrain to respond to her arrest.
Silencing Chelsea Manning, Jillian Steinhauer
The Los Angeles Review of Books provides an overview of and review of a graphic account of the trial of Private First Class Chelsea Manning.