Rob Dickinson is a Lecturer in Law at Newcastle Law School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England, UK, email: rob.dickinson@ncl.ac.uk. Formerly a practising lawyer, he was appointed to the lectureship in 2008. His current research focuses on self-determination and human rights and on issues arising with reference to state sovereignty. His recently published work addresses issues arising out of the events of the Arab Spring, considering, inter alia, the impact of the Internet on state sovereignty, and also important issues of legitimacy of government and external interference in the affairs of a state in the context of the emerging doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect.