Financial aid guaranteed by international law

I was surprised to read Opinio Juris’ headline, “International Law Guarantees University Financial Aid.” Oh?

Well, apparently not. Ficken’s son’s financial aid application was denied, it seems, and Ficken decided that under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, that simply would not stand. Also, it appears Secretary of State Rice was at fault. Somehow.

I’m still looking for an international law-themed thesis topic. I’ve got it narrowed down to a few ideas, largely theoretical and lengthily titled. You can imagine my delight, then, when every once in a while a Ficken v. Rice pops up and reminds me how ridiculous the whole thing can be.