Rather than decide the weighty issues of law that were before it, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently sidestepped an important opportunity to clarify the territorial scope of the 1789 Alien Tort Statute (ATS).

FORBES: The Ninth Circuit Punts On Alien Tort Statute

As with the Marshall Islands' declaration, the Cook Islands' effort was with the help of the Pew Environment Group, which advocates island nations' involvement because of the vast scope of their territorial waters.

BBC: Cook Islands' shark sanctuary creates world's largest

From the vagueness of what has been reported, it is apparent that Netanyahu has been far less specific about the scope of the territorial concessions he is willing to undertake than his predecessor was.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Fool me twice

The scoping exercise referred to by the Secretary of State is in relation to an officials' working group which has been looking at the scope for greater shared services between the three territorial offices.

BBC: Wales office looks to share office accommodation