World
How Does Extradition Work, and Who Actually Decides
A court deciding somebody is extraditable does not order anyone handed over. The statute gives the surrender decision to the Secretary of State, and the word it uses is may.
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World
Global affairs, politics, conflict and diplomacy — reported plainly and explained in full.
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World
How Does Diplomatic Immunity Work, and Where It Stops
Immunity is not one thing but four grades of it, and the remedies are political rather than judicial — which is why they look like an absence of consequences.
World
How Export Controls Work, and Where They Leak
A licence refused is how one government blocks a sale between two other countries. The mechanism behind export controls, and the two ways it leaks.
World
How International Sanctions Work — and Why They So Often Fall Short
Sanctions are the default response when governments want to act without going to war. Here is what they are, who imposes them, and why enforcement is the hardest part.