The Duck of Minerva

Betcy Jose

Jose is an Associate Prof at CU Denver who studied global norms, international humanitarian law, and civilians in war.

Recent Posts

The Syrian Conflict: to Internationalize or not to Internationalize

by Betcy Jose | 26 February, 2013 |

Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that the Obama administration blocked a Pentagon supported plan to provide arms to Syrian opposition forces.  For civilians in Syria hoping  for meaningful intervention to stop the conflict, this must have been difficult news to absorb.  I was reminded of this story yesterday while attending an informative workshop in Amman, Jordan on Islamic law and the protection of civilians. At the time, we were discussing how a non-international armed conflict (NIAC) becomes an international armed conflict (IAC) under international humanitarian law (IHL).   In...

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Why no Cuban Spring?

by Betcy Jose | 19 December, 2012 |

I am currently at the Social Science Research Center in Berlin to present a paper on norm suppression. While here, I had the opportunity to learn more about some of the work being done by the Civil Society, Conflicts, and Democracy research unit. Listening to these folks talk about the stability of authoritarian regimes reminded me of some thoughts I had when I recently travelled to Cuba to present another paper. In addition to prepping for that presentation, I was also reading for my Arab Spring and Social Media course I will teach in the Spring. Needless to say, revolutions were on my...

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Selectivity in the ICTR

by Betcy Jose | 8 November, 2012 |

Last Tuesday, Rwanda’s high court sentenced Victoire Ingabire to eight years in prison for conspiring to harm the country through war and terror and minimizing the 1995 genocide. Some of the evidence used against her include questioning why no Hutu victims were mentioned in a genocide memorial.  While the case raised controversy in Rwanda because it called into question the independence of the domestic judiciary and the freedom of political movement under a president seen as increasingly authoritarian, the case also raises interesting questions for international law. While Ingabire...

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International Law and Armed Conflict (Syria version)

by Betcy Jose | 18 October, 2012 |

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) recently determined that the situation in the entire country of Syria can be classified as a non-international armed conflict.  While this may not have been news to many watching events unfold there, what makes this statement interesting is that this position differed from the position advanced in May 2012 by then ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger.  At that time, Kellenberger claimed that parts of Syria could be classified as an “internal” armed conflict, particularly in the area around Homs and in the Idlib district.  The difference may...

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