Obama, a powerless lame duck?

Opinion: Crisis, opportunity for lame duck president? - CNN.comvar cnnCurrTime=new Date(1406574671000),cnnCurrHour=15,cnnCurrMin=11,cnnCurrDay="Mon",cnnIsIntl=false,clickID=211911,cnn_cvpAdpre="",cnnCVPAdSectionT1="cnn.com_opinion_t1",cnnCVPAdSectionInPage="cnn.com_opinion_inpage",cnnShareUrl="%2F2014%2F07%2F28%2Fopinion%2Fzelizer-lame-duck-presidents-obama%2Findex.html",cnnShareTitle="Is%20Obama%20a%20powerless%20lame%20duck%3F",cnnShareDesc="",cnnFirstPub=new Date('Monday Jul 28 07:56:54 EDT 2014'),cnnSectionName="opinion",sectionName="opinion",cnnSubSectionName="opn : commentary",cnnPageType="Story",cnnBrandingValue="politics.zelizer";cnnPartnerValue="";cnnOmniBranding="Julian Zelizer: Commentaries",cnnAuthor="Julian Zelizer, CNN Contributor",disqus_category_id=207582,disqus_identifier="/2014/07/28/opinion/zelizer-lame-duck-presidents-obama/index.html",disqus_title="Is Obama a powerless lame duck?",cnn_edtnswtchver="www",cnnIsStoryPage=true,cnn_metadata = {},cnn_shareconfig = [];cnn_metadata = {section: ["opinion","opn : commentary"],friendly_name: "Is Obama a powerless lame duck?",template_type: "content",template_type_content: "gallery",business: {cnn: {page: {author: "Julian Zelizer, CNN Contributor",broadcast_franchise: "",video_embed_count: "4",publish_date: "2014/07/28",photo_gallery: "Is Obama a powerless lame duck?"},video: {video_player: ""}}},user: {authenticated: "",segment: {age: "",zip: "",gender: ""}}};if (typeof(cnnOmniPartner) !== "undefined") {if (cnn_metadata.template_type_content === "") {cnn_metadata.template_type_content = "partner";}}var photo_gallery = "Is Obama a powerless lame duck?";if(typeof CNN==='undefined'){var CNN=Class.create();}CNN.expandableMap=[''];function _loginOptions(){};var disqus_url=(typeof disqus_identifier!=='undefined') ? 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Roy Peles, an infantry officer who was killed in combat, during his funeral in Tel Aviv on Sunday, July 27. Hamas and Israel began firing again at each other Sunday after a temporary truce on Saturday, renewing the recent violence that has taken more than 1,000 lives. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A Palestinian man sits atop a car filled with belongings salvaged from a home destroyed by a recent strike during a 12-hour cease-fire in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood on Saturday, July 26.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli soldiers watch a bomb explode along the border with Gaza before the 12-hour cease-fire on July 26.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}As her brother-in-law Mazen Keferna weeps on the ground, Manal Keferna cries upon discovering her family home destroyed by airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, on July 26.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Palestinians dig a body out of the rubble of a destroyed house in Gaza during the cease-fire on July 26.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}An Israeli soldier mourns at the grave of reserve Master Sgt. Yair Ashkenazy, 36, during his funeral at the military cemetery in Rehovot, Israel, on Friday, July 25. Ashkenazy was killed early Friday during operations in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces reported.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A Palestinian man cries after bringing a child to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, Gaza, on Thursday, July 24. The child was wounded in a strike on a school that was serving as a shelter for families in Gaza. It's unclear who was behind the strike. The Israeli military is "reviewing" the incident, it said, telling CNN that a rocket fired from Gaza could have been responsible.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli soldiers carry a wounded soldier to a helicopter near the Israel-Gaza border on July 24. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli soldiers patrol the Israel-Gaza border on July 24.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":9,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A trail of blood is seen in the courtyard of the school that was hit July 24 in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":10,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}An Israeli tank fires toward Gaza from a position near Israel's border on July 24.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":11,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A photograph tweeted by astronaut Alexander Gerst on Wednesday, July 23, shows major cities of Israel and Gaza. Gerst said in his tweet: "My saddest photo yet. From #ISS we can actually see explosions and rockets flying over #Gaza & #Israel."cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":12,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A woman in Philadelphia passes by a departure board that shows US Airways Flight 796, scheduled to fly to Tel Aviv, Israel, has been canceled on Tuesday, July 22. The Federal Aviation Administration told U.S. airlines they were temporarily prohibited from flying to the Tel Aviv airport after a Hamas rocket exploded nearby. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":13,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Smoke and fire from the explosion of an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City on July 22. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":14,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A relative of Israeli soldier Jordan Ben-Simon mourns over his coffin during his funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, on July 22. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":15,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings and collect usable items after an Israeli air assault on July 22. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":16,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli soldiers weep at the grave of Israeli Sgt. Adar Barsano during his funeral Sunday, July 20, in Nahariya, Israel.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":17,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Palestinian medics carry a body in Gaza's Shaja'ia district on July 20.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":18,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli soldiers give medical care to soldiers who where wounded during an offensive in Gaza on July 20.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":19,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A Palestinian boy injured during an Israeli airstrike is taken to the hospital by his father in Gaza City on July 20.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":20,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Palestinians flee their homes as Israeli troops focus their firepower on the Gaza town of Shaja'ia on Sunday, July 20. The shelling and bombing killed at least 60 people and wounded 300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":21,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Smoke rises after an Israeli missile hit Shaja'ia on July 20. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":22,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A Palestinian child walks on debris from a destroyed house following an overnight Israeli strike in Beit Lahiya on Saturday, July 19.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":23,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}An explosion rocks a street in Gaza City on Friday, July 18.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":24,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli ground forces move to the Gaza border on July 18.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":25,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Israeli soldiers patrol near the Israel-Gaza border on July 18.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":26,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A relative mourns July 18 during the funeral of Rani Abu Tawila, a Palestinian who was killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":27,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A Palestinian demonstrator, protesting Israel's military operation in Gaza, runs through smoke July 18 during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the Ofer prison in the West Bank village of Betunia.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":28,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}This image, made from video shot through a night-vision scope, was released by the Israeli military on July 18. It shows troops moving through a wall opening during the early hours of the ground offensive in Gaza. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":29,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Children stare as Palestinians flee Khan Yunis, Gaza, to safe areas July 18.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":30,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}An Israeli tank fires a shell into Gaza on July 18.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":31,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}A Palestinian carries a gas cylinder salvaged from the rubble of an apartment building after it was hit by Israeli fire on July 18.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":32,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}An Israeli reservist prays July 18 near the Gaza border by Sderot, Israel.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":33,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}Flare smoke rises into the Gaza City sky on Thursday, July 17. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":34,"title":"Israel\'s ground offensive in Gaza "}HIDE CAPTIONIsrael's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza Israel's ground offensive in Gaza <<<12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"Is Obama a powerless lame duck?");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSPopular image is that lame duck presidents are powerless, just serving out their termJulian Zelizer: Lame ducks actually can accomplish things, by responding to crisesDon't write off the chance of Mideast breakthrough by President Obama, he says Zelizer: Circumstances can create powerful opportunities for changeEditor's note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- According to the conventional wisdom, lame duck presidents can't do very much. The popular image is that they are killing time, maybe grabbing a beer with the locals, until the new guy or gal comes to town.

There are many reasons why the lame duck period is so daunting. Presidents can't scare their opponents with the threat of what they will do in or after the next election, while opponents are prepared to double down in their obstruction to destroy the legacy of the White House and prevent a departing president from making gains that will benefit his party.

For voters, gone is the thrill of the original election. Now they are well aware of all the president's flaws and failures. At the same time, members of the president's party in Congress are reluctant to take any more big risks for their leader given that he will soon be gone—and hopefully they will not.

Julian ZelizerBut the truth is that a lot can happen in the final years of a presidency. The notion that this is dead political time doesn't hold water. While all the obstacles facing presidents in the lame duck period are very real, there are a number of factors that can allow a president to make significant progress at this key moment.

A crisis is the most important factor. Stuff happens in politics, and sometimes a crisis creates a window of opportunity for presidential action even when Congress has been gridlocked for long periods. When major crises occur—whether economic, humanitarian, natural or national security--presidents can find that public pressure is so great for government action they can twist and turn Congress into action.

This has happened many times. Most recently, President George W. Bush was able to implement the surge in Iraq when his policies in 2007 seemed to be failing. Even though the public had turned against him and Congress came under Democratic control in 2006, the Iraqi civil war created room for action. When the bottom fell out of financial markets in fall 2008, Bush was also able to push through the TARP program that bailed out the banks and restored some stability to financial markets.

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But if Secretary of State John Kerry can manage to broker a cease-fire, combined with some broader accord that stabilizes the situation in the Middle East, this could be considered one of the President's greatest triumphs.

And if Obama can bring international pressure to bear on Russia and its allied rebels to a point that President Vladimir Putin backs off from his aggressive path, this too could prove to be a credit to the President's record.

On domestic policy the multiple court decisions that continue to raise questions about the Affordable Care Act could create an opportunity for President Obama to go back to Congress to fix and strengthen the legislation.

International diplomatic pressure is a force that can operate outside the normal political cycle. Sometimes actions by foreign leaders can emerge to provide huge opportunities for effective leadership.

View my Flipboard Magazine.This was certainly the case with Mikhail Gorbachev, who pushed hard to complete negotiations over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987 even as President Ronald Reagan faced intense push-back from the right. The result was that Reagan regained his standing after the disastrous impact of the Iran Contra scandal and in 1987 signed an agreement that is considered one of his most important achievements. Today, with world events so chaotic, President Obama would be eager and receptive to any new voice that emerges from the tumult to help achieve peace.

Midterms can also push elected officials toward agreements. Voters can shift the political winds in Washington. If Republicans do extremely well in 2014, as conservatives hope, the results could embolden the GOP and perhaps frighten Democrats into deals on issues like border control.

If Democrats do better than expected, holding back the traditional losses that usually take place, they could end up causing fear among Republicans that they need to make some deals or they will do even worse in the 2016 election. President Obama could use that kind of leverage to push through the immigration reform plan that has eluded him.

When the GOP only scored meager gains in the 1998 midterm elections, which came at the height of the effort to impeach President Bill Clinton, Republicans came out fearful that they had gone too far and were losing ground as the party of extremism. In Clinton's final years he was able to reach some deals with the Republican Congress on deficit reduction that bolstered his own standing.

Finally, part of how the lame duck period unfolds will depend on how much political risk President Obama is willing to take to get things done, either through executive action or the legislative process. It is possible that in these final years a president can lose some of the inhibitions that shaped his time in office to take a chance on bold moves that upset his own party.

In 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson was trying to get a 10% tax surcharge through Congress that would help finance the Great Society even while continuing the war in Vietnam, congressional conservatives insisted on steep spending cuts that were intolerable to liberals.

After announcing in March 1968 that he would not run for re-election, Johnson agreed to the cuts and obtained the revenue he needed. In 1980, after having lost to Ronald Reagan, Senate Democrats agreed to a series of compromises on legislation to protect 100 million acres of land in the Alaska wilderness, realizing they would get a much worse deal after Reagan was in the White House, to pass a bill that became a landmark of environmental protection.

As his second term begins to wind down, President Obama could, for instance, continue to move aggressively by using executive orders to achieve more progress on climate change. He could also return to discussion of some kind of deal on Social Security and Medicare that he has been talking about for years, even though it would certainly anger the base of his party. He could tackle some issues, like urban poverty or campaign finance reform, that he has mostly put aside since taking office.

So watch out for the lame duck period: President Obama's supporters should be a little more optimistic about what can happen in the next few years; while his opponents shouldn't be so confident that they will rule the roost.

History shows that the next few years could be a highly creative and significant period in Obama's presidency. Just when things seem most desperate, presidents have sometimes found the space they need in the closing months of their term to make gains.

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0Comments »SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/28/opinion/zelizer-lame-duck-presidents-obama/index.html","title" : "Is Obama a powerless lame duck?"});cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['607x95_adlinks','336x280_adlinks']);Part of complete coverage on Opinion on the newsBotched executions can't be new normupdated 2:31 PM EDT, Mon July 28, 2014Megan McCracken and Jennifer Moreno say it's unacceptable for states to experiment with new execution procedures without full disclosureWe need Asian-American superheroesupdated 12:35 PM EDT, Mon July 28, 2014Jeff Yang says it's great to see the comics make an effort at diversifying the halls of justicePutin's real end game in Ukraineupdated 11:55 AM EDT, Sat July 26, 2014Rick Francona says the reported artillery firing from Russian territory is a sign Vladimir Putin has escalated the Ukraine battleDo death penalty delays make it 'cruel and unusual'?updated 2:22 PM EDT, Sun July 27, 2014Paul Callan says the fact that appeals delay the death penalty doesn't make it an unconstitutional punishment, as one judge ruledDespite plane crashes, it's safe to flyupdated 6:25 PM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Pilot Robert Mark says it's been tough for the airline industry after the plane crashes in Ukraine and Taiwan. Gutting Obamacare is playing with livesupdated 11:10 AM EDT, Fri July 25, 2014Jennifer DeVoe laments efforts to end subsidies that allow working Americans to finally afford health insurance. Should nations pay the price for their leaders' misdeeds?updated 11:33 AM EDT, Sat July 26, 2014Ruti Teitel says assigning a costly and humiliating "collective guilt" to Germany after WWI would end up teaching the global community hard lessons about who to blame for war crimes 'Bring me your puppies!'updated 8:45 AM EDT, Fri July 25, 2014John Sutter responds to criticism of his column on the ethics of eating dog. What is the North Korean riddle?updated 9:02 AM EDT, Fri July 25, 2014Frida Ghitis says it's tempting to ignore North Korea's antics as bluster but the cruel regime is dangerous.Motyl: Putin, just evil enoughupdated 2:50 PM EDT, Fri July 25, 2014To the question "Is Putin evil?" Alexander Motyl says he is evil enough for condemnation by people of good will.Why an Ebola epidemic is spinning out of controlupdated 2:03 PM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Laurie Garrett: Poor governance, ignorance, hysteria worsen the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia.MH17 disaster foretells a more dangerous worldupdated 9:49 AM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Patrick Cronin and Kelley Sayler say the world is seeing nonstate groups such as Ukraine's rebels wielding more power to do harm than ever beforeThis tragedy is Russia's faultupdated 6:05 PM EDT, Wed July 23, 2014Ukraine ambassador Olexander Motsyk places blame for the MH17 tragedy squarely at the door of RussiaIt's happened before: MH17 tragedy was part of a bigger air warupdated 7:42 AM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Mark Kramer says Russia and its proxies have a history of shooting down civilian aircraft, often with few repercussionsWhat's a pilot to do? Landing in a war zoneupdated 2:53 PM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Les Abend says, with rockets flying over Tel Aviv and missiles shooting down MH17 over Ukraine, a commercial pilot's pre-flight checklist just got much more complicatedShift U.S. priorities closer to homeupdated 9:17 AM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Mark Kramer says Russia and its proxies have a history of shooting down civilian aircraft, often with few repercussionsWhy bringing bodies home mattersupdated 12:37 PM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014Gerard Jacobs says grieving families and nations need the comfort of traditional rituals to honor the remains of loved ones, particularly in a mass disasterThe argument for eating dogupdated 10:13 AM EDT, Thu July 24, 2014The idea is difficult to stomach, but John Sutter writes that eating dog is morally equivalent to eating pig, another intelligent animal. If Americans oppose it, they should question their own eating habits as well.War crimes in Gaza conflict? Let court decideupdated 12:30 PM EDT, Wed July 23, 2014Bill van Esveld says under the laws of war, civilians who do not join in the fight are always to be protected. An International Criminal Court could rule on whether Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocketing are war crimes.Nigeria's kidnapped girls, 100 days laterupdated 10:08 AM EDT, Wed July 23, 2014Gordon Brown says the kidnapped Nigerian girls have been in captivity for 100 days, but the world has not forgotten them..OB_SB_1, .OB_SB_2 { padding:0px; }#outbrain_container_1_stripBox .strip-like, #outbrain_container_2_stripBox .strip-like { font-size:18px; }#ob_strip_container_rel_1_stripBox { }#ob_strip_container_rel_1_stripBox .item-container, #ob_strip_container_rel_2_stripBox .item-container { padding-top:8px;border-top:1px solid #E5E5E5; } cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['300x100_bot1','300x100_bot2','300x100_bot3']); Home | Video | U.S. | World | Politics | Justice | Entertainment | Tech | Health | Living | Travel | Opinion | iReport | Money | SportsTools & widgets | RSS | Podcasts | Blogs | CNN mobile | My profile | E-mail alerts | Desktop Alerts | CNN shop | Site map | Contact us CNN en ESPAÑOL | CNN México | CNN Chile | CNN Expansión??????? | ??? | TürkçeCNN TV | HLN | Transcripts | © 2014 Cable News Network. 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