The Yegiora Files

Public international law is interesting. There are no legislative bodies to make international laws and no judicial bodies to interpret and extend the law. This problem stems from the anarchic nature of the international system and the competing nature of sovereign states. To better understand we go back to the Westphalian principle of legal equality, no state is more powerful than the other hence anarchy and unavoidable competition.     Goldstein (2005) in conjunction with Article 38 of the Statue of the International Court of Justice outlines the four sources of international law: treaties (conventions), custom, general principles of law (such as equity), and legal scholarship (including past judicial decisions).    …..“Treaties and other written conventions signed by states are the most important source. International treaties now fill more than a thousand thick volumes, with tens of thousands of individual agreements. There is a principle in international law t...

The international arena composes of many actors. State and non-state actors are the two important actors that operate within the boundaries of the Western-oriented international system. According to Griffiths, O’Callaghan and Roach (2008) there are two kinds of international law. One is referred to as private international law and the other one is public international law. Also referred to as conflict law by Shaw (2009), private is concerned with the resolution of international disputes between individuals and companies. According to Shaw (ibid), “if two Englishmen make a contract in France to sell goods situated in Paris, an English court would apply French laws as regards the validity of that contract” . Griffiths, O’Callaghan and Roach (2008) define public international law as laws that govern relations between states like claims for territory, use of the sea, arms control and human rights. Shaw (2009) also adds that public international law regulates the operations of the many...

In the game of pool one’s objective is to sink his or her balls and the black ball before their opponent in order to win the game. One uses the white ball to hit all the other balls into the hole. The collision and interaction between the different balls on the pool table determine the outcome of the game. The balls do not move themselves but are moved by people playing the game using a specially made stick. The international system is like a pool table. According to Griffiths, O’Callaghan and Roach (2008); states, non-state actors and individuals are like the different balls. Through their political, economic and social interaction these actors shape the world we live in. States like the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Russia, India, China, Japan, Germany and Australia are very influential because of their economy. How a country manages its economy determine its military capacity and political power. From one of the poorest nation to an economic powerhouse, Chin...

Incorporating social media into the teaching and learning process is a new experience for me. Especially, the use of Facebook which is a very popular social media site. Before using Facebook, I began with blogs and then Twitter . Students were asked to read an article related to the topic covered in the unit on the PNG Attitude blog and then share their comment. I went through their comments to grade their understanding of the topic and article.   This year (2016), in the second semester, I made the decision to create Facebook groups and name them after my units. I created 6 groups, 3 for semester 1 units and 3 for semester 2 units. I asked via the instructions in the learning guides for students to open a Facebook account using their real name or the name on their certificates. I made it clear that I did not want them to use any nick names or pseudonym. After creating an account, I asked them to add me as a friend on Facebook. After accepting their friend request, I add...

Using social media and a learning management system like Moodle in teaching and learning is a tough challenge. One needs to spend a lot of time to read about all these applications in order to be competent users.  Take for instance, in a class of 30 students you have those who are avid users of social media and those who dislike social media for whatever reason. If half of the class is on the dislike side of the spectrum then the social media experience will not be as expected. As a facilitator should you force students who dislike social media to open Facebook and Twitter accounts purposely for the unit or course? Should there be assessment tasks involving social media applications like Facebook and Twitter? For Moodle, you have some students who are interested or competent users, while others who are not that interested or competent. The interested users are deeply engaged in glossary and forum discussions. They tend to read most of the definitions and shared their compar...

The advent of the internet has revolutionized  teaching and learning. Knowledge is no longer absorbed from reading printed books, journals and newspapers. There are various other online sources that one can use to acquire information. As such, more and more institutions of higher learning are following the trend by using online platforms to facilitate teaching and learning. This shift is also reflected in the language used and the type of learning. I learnt about Moodle when I joined Divine Word University in 2012. The online learning management system was used by the University to provide a blended teaching and learning approach. In a recent workshop at the National University of Samoa , I found out from colleagues at the University of Fiji that they are also using Moodle and Turnitin . From 2012 to today, I have taught myself how to use Moodle. There were no ongoing workshops on Moodle like we had this year (2016). I used the Moodle website and YouTube to educate myself....

Students who apply for a particular program at any higher education institution should know the nature of their program and their rationale for applying. That is the expectation one has of a particular student enrolled in a program. The decision to apply for a particular program is considered rational after students have considered their options, and after much consultation. This process means that one is required to learn more about the program before applying from their respective provincial guidance officers or other sources. It is a bit confusing when you have students enrolled in a program like PNG Studies and International Relations who do not understand the program. One questions whether or not they filled out the application form or school leavers form by themselves? The lack of understanding of this program is reflected in the online student unit evaluation comment segment. One or two students show in the comments they make that they do not understand the overall program t...