On March 14, 2018, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the Philippines will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC, the Court) “effective immediately.” According to Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, the withdrawal could be “the beginning of the end” for the institution, as more countries would follow suit and non-members would be discouraged from joining.

On March 1, 2018, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Department of the Interior issued a memorandum, withdrawing certain findings on Endangered Species Act (ESA) enhancement of the species for trophies of African elephants acquired in certain African countries.  As a result, the decision allows hunters to import big-game trophies, including elephant tusks and lion hides with approvals granted on an individual basis.

On March 15, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated five entities and 19 individuals under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) as well as Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities,” as amended, and codified pursuant to CAATSA.

On March 19, 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order, prohibiting all transactions in Venezuela’s new crypto-currency, called the Petro digital currency. On the same day, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin announced that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated four current or former Venezuelan government officials pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13692, as part of Treasury’s continuing efforts to highlight the economic mismanagement and endemic corruption within the Maduro regime.

Acting on a request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Indonesian officials seized the luxury yacht Equanimity at Benoa Harbor in Bali, Indonesia on February 28, 2018. On March 8, they handed it over to the FBI. Investigators suspect the yacht was bought with the proceeds of embezzlement from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a Malaysian government-owned investment company.

On March 6, 2018, the World Bank Office of Suspension and Debarment (OSD)  announced that it has recently published its 10-Year Update on Case Data & Metrics in a new report,  Called the Suspension and Debarment: 10-Year Update on Case Data & Metrics 2007-2017: Addendum to the Second Edition  (World Bank Office of Suspension and Debarment),  it contains information related to the OSD’s sanctions system.

At its 3603^rd meeting on March 8 and 9, 2018, the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs Council discussed and adopted position on a number of criminal justice, home, and law enforcement issues.

On March 7, 2018, Eddie Skolnick and Jessica Alsart, both students at Georgetown Law School, introduced  the Georgetown Law School’s Global Law program entitled “Election Interference and International Law” and announced the program has prepared a paper.

On January 31, 2018, the Secretary-General of the United Nations submitted to the Security Council his report on the threat posed by ISIL (Da’esh) to international peace and security. This is the sixth strategic-level report that reflects the gravity of this threat, as well as the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering this phenomenon.

On March 1, 2018, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a recommendation addressing the problem of financing terrorism, specifically, by cutting the sources of income for jihadists.