Topic 1

Introduction

Tensions between Lebanon and Israel have been running high during the last months due to a legal dispute over rights to newly discovered natural oil and gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. Formally at war for years, and without diplomatic relations, Israel and Lebanon have never agreed on a delimitation of their maritime boundaries.

Rising Conflict Between Israel and Lebanon

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Introduction

After years of controversy, a small group of countries, including the United States and European Union member states, announced in December 2010 that they had finalized a new "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement"[1] ("ACTA"). With the negotiations complete, attention has turned to a question that may at first appear obscure, but is in fact of enormous importance: Can the U.S. President make the agreement on his own, without Congressional approval?

Introduction

On April 12, 2011, the Australian Government released a Trade Policy Statement outlining a series of five principles and six disciplines that will guide Australian trade policy in the future. Having laid out a comprehensive map, the Statement pointedly expresses opposition to investor-state dispute settlement provisions in future Australian trade agreements: