May 2014

When the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act last week, one of the unanswered questions hovering over the measure was how much money the Pentagon would need for the war in Afghanistan. At the time the bill passed, the Administration had not decided whether U.S. forces would remain in Afghanistan after 2014.…

In response to escalating sectarian violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), which has been embroiled in civil war since late 2012, President Obama has issued an Executive Order imposing sanctions on five individuals involved in the conflict and authorizing the U.S. Treasury Department to impose sanctions on other parties who engage in violence, human…

Although news headlines have focused on the severe challenges to world order stemming from the crisis in Ukraine and the continuing conflicts in the Middle East, mounting economic and political problems in Venezuela have profound implications for the United States and the countries of the Western Hemisphere and for international companies with investments in one…

On May 14, a judge in the Northern District of California granted in part and dismissed in part four motions to dismiss filed by defendants in the consolidated class action, Opperman v. Path (No. 3:13-CV-00453-JST). The plaintiffs alleged that apps offered by a number of developers (“App Defendants”) accessed and uploaded information from plaintiffs’ mobile…

Since passing its new constitution in January 2014—which has been described by some as one of the most progressive in the region—Tunisia has continued its post-revolution transition to a permanent government.  Most recently, in early May 2014, Tunisia’s 217-member National Constituent Assembly approved a new electoral law.  In addition to requiring male-female parity in party…

The chances are no greater than 50 percent that the negotiations with Iran over its nuclear weapons program will succeed.  And even if they do, this will not automatically open the gates for American companies to do business with Iran.

Last November, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—the US, Britain,…

On Friday, May 16, 2014, Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi won the India election for Prime Minister in a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).  Modi has been swept into a vast, grand and complex political stadium that is India—the world’s largest democracy.  Over 800 million voters—150 million of whom voted for the first…

Earlier this week, the FCC announced that mobile wireless company Sprint will pay $7.5 million to resolve allegations that the company failed to honor consumer requests to be placed on Sprint’s entity-specific Do-Not-Call list.  The settlement represents the largest of its kind between the FCC and a carrier.
Through this settlement agreement, which follows…