#international-law
62 episodes
#3669: The Dewey Decimal System for Things That Go Boom
Standardized codes that let investigators, diplomats, and deminers speak the same language about munitions.
#3668: White Phosphorus: The Weapon That Won't Stop Burning
How white phosphorus evades legal bans, which militaries use it, and why its effects devastate civilians.
#3634: When Building Your Own Island Goes Wrong
A real estate mogul tried to build a libertarian utopia on artificial islands. A king showed up with convicts and a brass band.
#3412: What Would the UN’s Architects Think of It Today?
Was the UN designed to work—or just to survive? A look at its original purpose vs. today’s reality.
#3407: How the UN Picks Biased Rapporteurs for Israel
Why does the UN keep appointing human rights rapporteurs with pre-existing biases against Israel? The answer is structural.
#3317: The Invisible Line: Settlements Beyond the Green Line
Why international law says settlements are illegal, and how Israel justifies them.
#3256: The Seasteading Dream That Sank
Silicon Valley tried to build floating nations. The ocean and the law had other plans.
#3208: How Do You Weigh Smoke? Measuring Corruption Across 4,000 Years
From ancient Sumer to modern Israel—how humans have tried to quantify the unquantifiable.
#3206: The Free Speech Fault Line: UK's Ban on Piker & Uygur
Why free speech absolutists defend letting controversial figures into the UK — and what history says about hate speech and violence.
#3181: When Lawyers Speak for Nations: The Fiction of One Voice
How do lawyers claim to speak for millions who disagree? The strange fiction behind international law.
#3159: How Bankruptcy Works Differently in the US vs. Israel
Two countries, two radically different philosophies on debt, failure, and second chances.
#3156: The 2,000-Year Campaign to Ban Brit Milah
Belgium may ban non-medical circumcision for minors. This isn't new — states have tried for two millennia.
#3153: Law as Fallback vs Minimalist Codes
How Japan and the US take opposite approaches to legal codes — and what AI regulation reveals about the tradeoffs.
#3152: When Law Didn't Need God
Did the first secular law code permit dismembering debtors? Tracing law's 4,000-year shift from divine command to human reason.
#3151: When Courts Need a Conscience: Equity vs Law Explained
Why England built a second court system—and what Israel does instead.
#3142: Three Legal Pillars of Israeli West Bank Policy
How Israel's government legally justifies military courts, settlements, and the occupation itself under international law.
#3139: How Arms Embargoes Actually Work (or Don't)
Embargoes sound decisive, but the machinery underneath is full of asterisks. Here's how they really work.
#3134: 9,200 Palestinian Detainees: Inside Israel’s Dual Legal System
Over half of Israel’s prison population are Palestinian security detainees—many held without charge.
#3035: The Speeding Ticket That Explains the West Bank
Who writes your ticket in the West Bank depends on who you are, not just where you are.
#3013: East Jerusalem's In-Between Status: Residency Without Citizenship
Permanent residency in Israel isn't a path to citizenship. For East Jerusalemites, it's a trap that can be revoked.
#2766: How Israeli Airport Security Works Abroad
How Israeli security agents legally question passengers at foreign airports — and why they can't arrest anyone.
#2611: Saturday Drums vs Quiet Homes: Protest Rights in Residential Areas
When weekly protests become a permanent neighborhood soundscape, how do democracies balance assembly rights with residents' quiet enjoyment?
#2552: The IAEA's Only Weapon: Credibility
The IAEA has fewer inspectors, less access, and more enrichment to verify in Iran than ever before.
#2389: How UKMTO Tracks Maritime Threats in Real Time
The Royal Navy's UKMTO has become the go-to source for real-time maritime incident reports—here's how it works amid rising Red Sea tensions.
#2360: The Legal Mechanics of Suspending an EU Agreement
What would suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement actually mean for trade, research, and diplomacy? We break it down.
#2298: The Regulatory Patchwork Behind Hebrew Announcements
Discover why non-Israeli airlines always have Hebrew-speaking crew members on flights to Israel — and what it reveals about aviation regulations.
#2240: Who Does Every Country Owe Money To?
National debt isn't like personal debt. Most countries simultaneously owe money to diffuse creditors while also holding others' debt—creating a cir...
#2229: Decoding "Working Level": What Diplomats Really Mean
When the White House calls a meeting "working level," what's actually being signaled? We decode the vocabulary system that grades every diplomatic ...
#2216: The Yellow Line: Israel's Creeping Border
As Iran dominates headlines, Israel has quietly entrenched control over half of Gaza. A ceasefire line is looking permanent.
#2198: The Strait Choke: How Naval Blockades Actually Work
The US just announced a blockade of Iranian ports. We break down the legal definition, four centuries of blockade history, and why this one might—o...
#2156: The Architecture of Opacity in Think Tank Funding
Foreign governments are funding U.S. think tanks through complex financial networks to shape policy, often bypassing transparency laws.
#2086: The Gravity of Power: Why We Split It
Why do we separate government powers? We trace the idea from Aristotle to Montesquieu and the US founders.
#2082: When Justice Becomes a Formula
Israel's proposed mandatory death penalty for terrorists has deep historical roots, from Hammurabi's Code to the Bloody Code.
#2052: The UN’s Phantom Army: Who Really Holds the Stick?
The UN Security Council can authorize war, but owns no tanks. Discover the gap between legal authority and military reality.
#2023: Simulating the Brink of War
A dramatic UN session unfolds as the US and Russia clash over preemptive strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
#1999: Why Anti-Zionist Jews Live in Jerusalem
They reject Israel’s existence on religious grounds, yet live in its heart. Discover the theology of the Three Oaths.
#1833: The Kosher Coffee Machine Rebellion
A Tel Aviv hotel's coffee machine sparked a legal battle over who gets to say your food is kosher.
#1826: Israel’s Unwritten Constitution: A 75-Year Patchwork
Israel has existed for over 75 years without a formal constitution, relying instead on a patchwork of Basic Laws.
#1747: Cluster Bombs: Precision's Evil Twin
Why are countries still using cluster bombs? We explore the terrifying engineering and the decades-long fallout.
#1745: When Rules Create Loopholes
Why the U.S. uses different accounting rules than the rest of the world—and what LIFO inventory has to do with it.
#1676: The State's Spiritual Filter: Controlling Faith in China
China is officially atheist, but 100 million people practice Christianity in secret. Discover the five state-approved faiths and the shadow network...
#1628: Is a Diplomat Enough to Stop an Iranian Nuclear Bomb?
Discover why the man tasked with monitoring Iran’s nuclear program isn't a scientist—and why that might be his greatest strength.
#1553: The Global Law Gap: High-Stakes Drama vs. Technical Success
Why does international law thrive in technical "plumbing" but fail in high-stakes justice? Discover the growing global enforcement gap.
#1552: Targeted Prevention: Inside Israel’s Assassination Policy
Explore the history, legality, and tactical execution of Israel’s "Sikkul Memukad" policy, from early parcel bombs to modern drone strikes.
#1371: The Legal Patchwork of Terrorist Proscription
What happens when a group moves from the "limelight" into a terrorist list? Explore the legal mechanics and global politics of proscription.
#1323: The Mayor Who Misused Genocide
Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparks controversy by labeling international conflicts as genocide. Is this bold leadership or a dangerous distraction?
#1302: The Legal Labyrinth: Israel’s Disputed Territories
Explore the friction between international law and domestic policy regarding East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights.
#1295: The Statehood Question: History, Law, and Sovereignty
Does the lack of a historical Palestinian state invalidate modern claims to sovereignty? We debate legal realism versus inherent human rights.
#1286: Can You Lose Your Home for Leaving the City?
Explore the "residency trap" and the pragmatic survival of 330,000 people living in the complex legal heart of East Jerusalem.
#1196: The Myth of Lawless Seas
Is the ocean truly a lawless frontier? Discover the complex legal zones of the high seas and why "pirate" dreams are a legal nightmare.
#1153: The Micronation Dream: A Sloth and Donkey's Legal Hustle
Is any land left on Earth truly unclaimed? Join the quest to find out if you can still plant a flag and start your own sovereign nation.
#970: The Limits of the State: Can a Nation Survive Anarchy?
Explore the boundaries of power as we look at stateless Somalia, private cities in Honduras, and the radical mini-state of Liechtenstein.
#904: The Empire of Bases: How US Footprint Became a Target
As 27 US bases face unprecedented strikes, Herman and Corn trace the 80-year history of the American military footprint in the Middle East.
#876: Words That Wound: The Global Battle Over Free Speech
Explore the high-stakes tension between the right to speak and the right to safety in an era of digital vitriol and real-world violence.
#734: The Illusion of Now: UTC, GMT, and the Chaos of Time
Why is keeping time so hard? Explore the difference between UTC and GMT, the end of leap seconds, and the messy global politics of daylight savings.
#710: Defining the "Crime of Crimes": The Gaza Genocide Case
We examine the history of the term "genocide" and the high-stakes legal battle at the ICJ regarding the conflict in Gaza.
#614: When Arrest Warrants Are Just Paper
Herman and Corn break down the mechanics of ICC warrants, the role of Interpol, and why international law often clashes with global politics.
#541: The Hidden Rules That Move Your Batteries
Why are loose batteries a "no-go" for shipping? Herman and Corn explore the volatile science and strict laws behind lithium-ion logistics.
#483: The Ottoman Empire's Hidden Blueprint
Explore how 400 years of Ottoman rule and 30 years of British mandate built the physical and legal foundations of the modern State of Israel.
#464: The Hidden Walls of Global Remote Work
Why does "work from anywhere" often mean "only in the US"? Explore the legal, tax, and IP traps that keep remote work restricted.
#430: Jerusalem’s Ghost Consulates: Diplomacy in Limbo
Discover why some Jerusalem consulates ignore the state they’re in and how 400-year-old treaties still shape the city’s bizarre diplomatic map.
#277: When Bulldozers Test International Law
As Israel dismantles the UNRWA HQ in Jerusalem, we debunk the myth of "foreign soil" and explore the reality of diplomatic immunity.