When is International Peacemaking Illegal - Audio

The recent Supreme Court decision in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project upheld the laws that make it a criminal act to provide “material support” to a proscribed organization as designated by the State Department or the Treasury Department, even when that support consists of advice or training aimed at promoting peace and non-violence. This ruling significantly restricts the activities of Americans and those organizations and individuals funded by American money from trying to bring proscribed organizations to the negotiating table.

To explore the scope of this ruling and its implications for international peacemaking, experts on this issue participated in a public workshop hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace on September 10.  Arguments were presented on both sides of the decision, including by the lawyer who represented the Humanitarian Law Project before the Supreme Court.