Author Archives: MarcoClare

China Gets Crushed in Hague Tribunal Over the South China Sea

by MarcoClare Posted on July 12, 2016

Mother Jones

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For the past year, an international tribunal in the Hague has been pondering China’s claim to own the entire South China Sea. China has refused to participate in the trial because they were afraid they might lose. And lose they did:

An international tribunal in The Hague delivered a sweeping rebuke on Tuesday of China’s behavior in the South China Sea, including the construction of artificial islands, and found that its expansive claim to sovereignty over the waters had no legal basis.

….“It’s an overwhelming victory. We won on every significant point,” said the Philippines’ chief counsel in the case, Paul S. Reichler. “This is a remarkable victory for the Philippines.”

But then there’s this:

While the decision is legally binding, there is no mechanism for enforcing it, and China, which refused to participate in the tribunal’s proceedings, reiterated on Tuesday that it would not abide by it.

So it’s a moral victory, but not much else. Still, China cares about its international standing, no matter how much they bluster otherwise. This might a first step toward getting them to enter into serious negotiations over ownership of the various rocks, reefs, and islands of the South China Sea—all of which are governed by different rules regarding maritime rules and economic zones. Time will tell.

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China Gets Crushed in Hague Tribunal Over the South China Sea

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Samantha Bee Just Perfectly Explained What’s Wrong With the War on Women

by MarcoClare Posted on March 2, 2016

Mother Jones

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Today, the Supreme Court heard opening arguments for Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a case many are describing as the most consequential abortion decision to face the high court in decades.

To help explain what’s at stake for women and how the case could could affect abortion clinics nationwide, Samantha Bee recently dedicated a segment of her new show to a conversation with one of the legislators who crafted HB 2, the 2013 Texas anti-abortion law central to the dispute. But once Bee sat down with Texas Rep. Dan Flynn, it became obvious that he didn’t know too much about women’s health, reproduction, or the lack of evidence that the HB 2 restrictions, which have radically curtailed reproductive rights in his state, are medically necessary.

“I’m not a doctor,” he said at one point. “I don’t know, but I’ve listened to many doctors tell me about the procedures that happen when you do an invasive surgery.”

Bee looked stunned. “You don’t seem to know anything specifically about abortion really at all, and yet you did all this with building regulations,” Bee responded.

For more on the war on women and background on Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, read our deep-dive here.

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Samantha Bee Just Perfectly Explained What’s Wrong With the War on Women

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