Saturday, May 10, 2014

New Issue: International Community Law Review

The latest issue of the International Community Law Review (Vol. 16, no. 2, 2014) is out. Contents include:
  • Strategies for the Future of a Sustainable Environment after Rio+20
    • Jorge E. Viñuales, Green Investment after Rio 2012
    • Caroline Mair, Climate Change: The Greatest Challenge for the Future and a Major Cross-Sectoral Area of Intervention
    • Gabriela A. Oanta, Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment as a Goal for Achieving Sustainable Development on the Rio+20 Agenda
    • Francesco Sindico, Water Governance in the Aftermath of Rio+20

Friday, May 9, 2014

Radu, Chenou, & Weber: The Evolution of Global Internet Governance: Principles and Policies in the Making

Roxana Radu, Jean-Marie Chenou, & Rolf H. Weber have published The Evolution of Global Internet Governance: Principles and Policies in the Making (Springer 2014). Here's the abstract:
The volume explores the consequences of recent events in global Internet policy and possible ways forward following the 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12). It offers expert views on transformations in governance, the future of multistakeholderism and the salience of cybersecurity. Based on the varied backgrounds of the contributors, the book provides an interdisciplinary perspective drawing on international relations, international law and communication studies. It addresses not only researchers interested in the evolution of new forms of transnational networked governance, but also practitioners who wish to get a scholarly reflection on current regulatory developments. It notably provides firsthand accounts on the role of the WCIT-12 in the future of Internet governance.

New Volume: Japanese Yearbook of International Law

The latest volume of the Japanese Yearbook of International Law (Vol. 56, 2013) is out. Contents include:
  • The Role of Prominent Jurists in Japan's Engagement with International Law, 1853-1945
    • Masaharu Yanagihara, Introduction: The Role of Prominent Jurists in Japan's Engagement with International Law, 1853-1945
    • Lam Hok-chung, Learning the New Law, Envisioning the new World: Meiji Japan's Reading of Henry Wheaton
    • Han Sang-hee, Yukichi Fukuzawa (135-1901) — Revisiting Fukuzawa from a Comparative Perspective
    • Anthony Carty, Thomas Baty: An International Lawyer as Public Intellectual between Imperial Japan and the Republic of China
    • Masaharu Yanagihawa, Mineitciro Adatci (1869-1934): His Concept of International Adjudication
    • Akashi Kinji, Sakutaro Tachi: A Blend of Scholarship and Practionership, and Its Fate in Japan
    • Masahiro Kurosaki & Akira Mayama, Juji Enomono: The Case of an International Lawyer in the Imperial Japanese Navy
  • Historical Perspective of Japanese Private International Law
    • Yoshiaki Sakurada, The Origin and Evolution of Private International Law in Japan
    • Aki Kitazawa, Nobushige Hozumi and Saburo Yamada — The Enactment of the Horei of 1898
    • Jun'ichi Akiba, The Beginning and Development of Japanese Doctrines on the Private International Law — Koichi Yamaguchi (1866-1945) and Iwataro Kubo (1897-1980)
    • Keisuke Takeshita, Sadajiro Atobe and Kotaro Tanaka: The Universal Private International Law School of Thought in Japan
    • Dai Yokomizo, Hidebumi Egawa: Founder if the International Tradition in the Japanese Conflict of Laws
  • The Great East Japan Earthquake and International Law
    • Rokuichiro Michii, The International Legal Framework for Liability and Compensation for Damage from Nuclear Accidents — History, Present Challenges, and Future Course
    • Wolfrum Tonhauser & Anthony Wetherall, The International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Legal Framework for Nuclear Safety

New Issue: Global Society

The latest issue of Global Society (Vol. 28, no. 3, 2014) is out. Contents include:
  • Special Issue: Affective Economies, Neoliberalism, and Governmentality
    • Anne-Marie D'Aoust, Ties that Bind? Engaging Emotions, Governmentality and Neoliberalism: Introduction to the Special Issue
    • William Walters, Parrhēsia Today: Drone Strikes, Fearless Speech and the Contentious Politics of Security
    • Luis Lobo-Guerrero, The Capitalisation of ‘Excess Life’ through Life Insurance
    • Anne-Marie D'Aoust, Love as Project of (Im)Mobility: Love, Sovereignty and Governmentality in Marriage Migration Management Practices
    • Wanda Vrasti & Jean Michel Montsion, No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded: The Values/Virtues of Transnational Volunteerism in Neoliberal Capital
    • Nicholas J. Kiersey, “Retail Therapy in the Dragon's Den”: Neoliberalism and Affective Labour in the Popular Culture of Ireland's Financial Crisis
    • Nadine Voelkner, Affective Economies in the Governance of Trafficking and Sex Work in Vietnam

New Issue: Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Institutions

The latest issue of Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Institutions (Vol. 20, no. 2, April-June 2014) is out. Contents include:
  • The Global Forum
    • Manuel Fröhlich, The John Holmes Memorial Lecture: Representing the United Nations: Individual Actors, International Agency, and Leadership
    • Louise Arbour, The Relationship Between the ICC and the UN Security Council
    • Paul Meyer, A Banner Year for Conventional Arms Control? The Arms Trade Treaty and the Small Arms Challenge
  • Articles
    • Andrew F. Cooper & Bessma Momani, Re-balancing the G-20 from Efficiency to Legitimacy: the 3G Coalition and the Practice of Global Governance
    • Eduard Jordaan, South Africa and Abusive Regimes at the UN Human Rights Council
    • Melinda Negrón-Gonzales & Michael Contarino, Local Norms Matter: Understanding National Responses to the Responsibility to Protect
    • Invild Bode, Francis Deng and the Concern for Internally Displaced Persons: Intellectual Leadership in the United Nations
    • Pak K. Lee & Lai-Ha Chen, China Joins Global Health Governance: New Player, More Medicines, and New Rules?
    • Desmond McNeill and Kristin Ingstad Sandberg, Trust in Global Health Governance: the GAVI Experience

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Call for Papers: ASIL Dispute Resolution Interest Group Workshop

The Dispute Resolution Interest Group of the American Society of International Law has issued a call for papers for its inaugural works-in-progress workshop, to take place at the University of Colorado, August 15, 2014. Here's the call:

The Dispute Resolution Interest Group (DRIG) of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) is co-sponsoring its first scholarly works-in-progress conference with the University of Colorado Law School on Friday, August 15, 2014. The event will take place at the law school, located in Boulder, CO. The workshop seeks to highlight currents works-in-progress by a diverse group of scholars writing about international dispute resolution in the areas of international courts and tribunals, international arbitration, international mediation, international negotiation, peacekeeping, peace building, and related topics. The workshop will be a daylong event with an informal conference dinner the evening before.

To have a work-in-progress considered for presentation, please send a short abstract to DRIG Co-Chairs Christina Hioureas (CHioureas@chadbourne.com) and Anna Spain (anna.spain@colorado.edu) by Monday, June 16, 2014. Please also include a sentence about the stage the paper is expected to be in by August (e.g., reasonably complete draft, incomplete draft, etc.). Paper presenters will be asked to circulate their drafts to workshop attendees no later than August 1, 2014.

Those interested in serving as a commentator for a paper should also send an email to the DRIG co-chairs by June 16. Commentators will be asked to prepare five to eight minutes of comments on one of the papers.

Wouters, Chané, & Odermatt: Improving the EU's Status in the UN and the UN System: An Objective without a Strategy?

Jan Wouters (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies), Anna-Luise Chané (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies), & Jed Odermatt (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies) have posted Improving the EU's Status in the UN and the UN System: An Objective without a Strategy? Here's the abstract:
The Lisbon Treaty emphasizes the EU’s commitment to multilateralism, stating that it ‘shall seek to develop relations and build partnerships with [...] international, regional or global organisations’ and to ‘promote multilateral solutions to common problems, in particular in the framework of the United Nations’ (Article 21(1), second para., TEU). One of its key goals in external relations is ‘to support and work for effective multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core’. However these global ambitions are often not matched by the level of participation and representation that the EU enjoys in the UN and the UN system. This contribution examines some of the legal and political issues that are at play as the EU attempts to enhance its cooperation with and representation in the UN and the UN system. It examines these issues with regard to UN bodies that have been identified as targets for closer co-operation and others where the EU could potentially pursue upgraded status. It analyses both the EU’s participation in the respective fora and the legal and political potential for improving the Union’s status. The EU not only remains faced with a series of internal and external obstacles as a participant within the UN and the UN system, barring it from taking up its leading role at the global level – it currently also lacks a convincing strategy to overcome them.

Hillebrecht: Domestic Politics and International Human Rights Tribunals: The Problem of Compliance

Courtney Hillebrecht (Univ. of Nebraska - Political Science) has published Domestic Politics and International Human Rights Tribunals: The Problem of Compliance (Cambridge Univ. Press 2014). Here's the abstract:
International politics has become increasingly legalized over the past fifty years, restructuring the way states interact with each other, international institutions, and their own constituents. The international legalization of human rights now makes it possible for individuals to take human rights claims against their governments at international courts such as the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights. This book brings together theories from international law, human rights and international relations to explain the increasingly important phenomenon of states' compliance with human rights tribunals' rulings. It argues that this is an inherently domestic affair. It posits three overarching questions: why do states comply with human rights tribunals' rulings? How does the compliance process unfold and what are the domestic political considerations around compliance? What effect does compliance have on the protection of human rights? The book answers these through a combination of quantitative analyses and in-depth case studies from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Portugal, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Douglas, Pauwelyn, & Viñuales: The Foundations of International Investment Law: Bringing Theory into Practice

Zachary Douglas (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies), Joost Pauwelyn (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies), & Jorge E. Viñuales (Univ. of Cambridge - Law) have published The Foundations of International Investment Law: Bringing Theory into Practice (Oxford Univ. Press 2014). Contents include:
  • Zachary Douglas, Joost Pauwelyn, & Jorge E. Vinuales, Introduction
  • Joost Pauwelyn, Regime composition, emergence, and change
  • Ursula Kriebaum, The nature of investment disciplines
  • Martins Paparinskis, Analogies and other regimes of international law
  • Moshe Hirsh, The sociology of international investment law
  • Mark Wu, Differences in regime architecture: trade vs. investment
  • Florian Grisel, Sources of investment law
  • Sergio Puig, No right without a remedy: foundations of investor-state arbitration
  • Thomas Schultz, The function of investment arbitration
  • Jorge E. Vinuales, Dissecting sovereignty
  • Zachary Douglas, Concepts of property
  • Anne van Aaken, Control mechanisms
  • Alex Mills, Balancing different interests
  • Julie Maupin, Differentiation
  • Jurgen Kurtz, Normative interactions
  • Stephan Schill, Harmonising substantive law
  • Michael Waibel, Coordinating adjudication processes
  • Zachary Douglas, Joost Pauwelyn, & Jorge E. Vinuales, Conclusions

Arajärvi: The Changing Nature of Customary International Law

Noora Arajärvi (United Nations) has published The Changing Nature of Customary International Law: Methods of Interpreting the Concept of Custom in International Criminal Tribunals (Routledge 2014). Here's the abstract:

This book examines the evolution of customary international law (CIL) as a source of international law. Using the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as a key case study, the book explores the importance of CIL in the development of international criminal law and focuses on the ways in which international criminal tribunals can be said to change the ways in which CIL is formed and identified. In doing so, the book surveys the process and substance of CIL, as well as the problematic distinction between the elements of state practice and opinio juris.

By applying an inclusive positivist approach, Noora Arajärvi analyses the methodologies of identification of CIL in selected cases of the ICTY, and their normative foundations. Through examination of the case-law and the reasoning of courts and tribunals, Arajärvi demonstrates to what extent the court's chosen method of identification of CIL affects the process of custom formation and the resulting system of norms in general.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Hafner-Burton: A Social Science of Human Rights

Emilie Marie Hafner-Burton (Univ. of California, San Diego - Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies) has posted A Social Science of Human Rights (Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 273-286, 2014). Here's the abstract:
Why do governments abuse human rights, and what can be done to deter and reverse abusive practices? This article examines the emerging social science on these two questions. Over the last few decades, scholars have made considerable progress in answering the first one. Abuse stems, centrally, from conflict and institutions. Answers to the second question are more elusive because data are scarce and the relationships between cause and effect are hard to pin down. Lively debates concern the effectiveness of tools such as military intervention, economic policy, international law, and information strategies for protecting human rights. The evidence suggests that despite the explosion of international legal instruments, this strategy has had impact only in special circumstances. Powerful states play central roles in protecting human rights through sanctions, impartial military intervention, and other tools – often applied unilaterally, which suggests that there is an ongoing tension between the legitimacy of broad multilateral legal institutions and narrower strategies that actually work. The best approaches to managing human rights depend on the political organization of the abuser. Where strong centralized organizations are the problem, the best strategies alter the incentives of leaders at the top; where abuse arises from disarray, such as during civil war or fragile democratic transition, the key tasks include reducing agency slack and making organizations stronger and more accountable.

Sprankling: The International Law of Property

John G. Sprankling (Univ. of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law) has published The International Law of Property (Oxford Univ. Press 2014). Here's the abstract:

Does a right to property exist under international law? The traditional answer to this question is no: a right to property can only arise under the domestic law of a particular nation. But the view that property rights are exclusively governed by national law is obsolete. Identifiable areas of property law have emerged at the international level, and the foundation is now arguably being laid for a comprehensive international regime. This book provides a detailed investigation into this developing international property law. It demonstrates how the evolution of international property law has been influenced by major economic, political, and technological changes: the embrace of private property by former socialist states after the end of the Cold War; the globalization of trade; the birth of new technologies capable of exploiting the global commons; the rise of digital property; and the increasing recognition of the human right to property.

The first part of the book analyzes how international law impacts rights in specific types of property. In some situations, international law creates property rights, such as rights in aboriginal lands, deep seabed minerals, and satellite orbits. In other areas, it harmonizes property rights that arise at the national level, such as rights in intellectual property, rights in foreign investments, and security interests in personal property. Finally, it restricts property rights that may be recognized at the national level, such as rights in celestial bodies, contraband, and slaves. The second part of the book explores the thesis that a global right to property should be recognized as a general matter, not merely as a moral precept but rather as an entitlement that all nations must honour. It establishes the components of such a right, arguing that the right to property at the international level should be seen in the context of five key components of ownership: acquisition, use, destruction, exclusion, and transfer. This highly innovative book makes an important contribution to how we conceptualize the protection of property and to the understanding that much of this protection now takes place at the international level.

Conference: South Asia and International Law: Engagement or Encounter?

The Bangladesh Chapter of the Asian Society of International Law will host the 2014 AsianSIL Regional Conference, August 22-24, in Dhaka. The theme is "South Asia and International Law: Engagement or Encounter?" A preliminary program is here.

Call for Papers: Droit international et territorialité

In conjunction with the biennial joint meeting of the Société française pour le droit international and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationales Recht, the Université de Louvain has issued a call for papers directed at junior researchers for a workshop on "Droit international et territorialité – Protection, signification et dépassement des limites souveraines dans la pratique contemporaine." Here's the call:

Université de Louvain (UCL)

Centre Charles De Visscher pour le droit international et européen

APPEL A CONTRIBUTIONS

DROIT INTERNATIONAL ET TERRITORIALITÉ

Protection, signification et dépassement des limites souveraines dans la pratique contemporaine

Dans le cadre des échanges biennaux entre la Société française pour le droit international et la Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationales Recht, l’Université de Louvain (UCL) organise des

RENCONTRES DE JEUNES CHERCHEURS EN DROIT INTERNATIONAL

Ces rencontres, qui auront pour thème « Droit international et territorialité – Protection, signification et dépassement des limites souveraines dans la pratique contemporaine » se tiendront en Belgique, à Louvain-la-Neuve, les 13 et 14 novembre 2014. Les participants aux rencontres sont cordialement invités aux journées d’études conjointes franco-allemandes qui auront lieu les 14-15 novembre 2014 sur le thème du « Droit des frontières internationales ». Les rencontres des jeunes chercheurs visent à approfondir la connaissance des pratiques et des traditions juridiques françaises et allemandes et à favoriser les échanges entre les centres de recherche des deux Etats.

Un appel à contribution est lancé à l’adresse des doctorants, docteurs, post-doctorants et jeunes maîtres de conférence des universités de France et d’Allemagne, ou d’autres universités européennes pouvant justifier d’un sujet de recherche en rapport avec le thème général des journées conjointes. Les propositions de contribution peuvent porter sur l’une des thématiques suivantes, ou sur toute autre thématique liée au thème général des rencontres :

1. Territorialité et normes fondamentales du droit international

2. Identité culturelle et territoire

3. Contrôle territorial et droits fondamentaux

4. Conflits gelés et acquisition territoriale

5. Actualités du contentieux de la délimitation

6. Compétence territoriale, extraterritoriale et universelle

Les propositions de contributions (quatre pages maximum, rédigées en français, allemand ou anglais) seront accompagnées d’un C.V. et envoyées à pierre.dargent@uclouvain.be avant le 15 juin 2014. Les organisateurs retiendront jusqu’à 12 candidats, en veillant à l’équilibre entre les thématiques et les approches. L’originalité et/ou l’actualité de la recherche seront valorisées. Les candidats seront rapidement informés du résultat de la sélection. Les candidats retenus seront invités à présenter leurs contributions en une vingtaine de minutes au cours d’un atelier suivi d’une discussion générale entre participants. En l’absence de traduction simultanée, une compréhension au moins passive des deux autres langues de travail est requise. Chaque candidat retenu adressera aux organisateurs, un mois avant les rencontres, le plan de son intervention, une bibliographie sélective, un résumé et les mots clés dans la langue de l’intervention, traduits au moins l’une des deux autres langues de travail. Ces documents seront distribués aux participants.

Les meilleures contributions sont appelées à être publiées dans l’ouvrage qui contiendra les actes des journées franco-allemandes, ou dans des revues scientifiques si elles ne sont pas retenues pour ces actes. Les frais de voyage et d’hébergement des candidats retenus seront couverts.

Pr. Evelyne Lagrange

Université Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne

Pr. Stefan Oeter

Université de Hambourg

Pr. Pierre d’Argent

Université de Louvain

New Blog: Völkerrechtsblog

The Arbeitskreis junger VölkerrechtlerInnen (Working Group of Young Scholars in Public International Law) has begun a new German-language international law blog - the aptly titled Völkerrechtsblog. Here's the inaugural post:

Völkerrecht 2.0 – es ist angerichtet

Dana Schmalz und Michael Riegner (für die Redaktion des Völkerrechtsblogs)

Hier ist er, der neue Völkerrechtsblog. Noch erinnert er an den Blick auf einen gedeckten Tisch in Erwartung einer großen Feier. Die ersten geladenen Gäste trudeln ein, und die Tür steht allen offen, die kommen wollen. Wie werden sich die Gäste verstehen? Welche Köstlichkeiten werden sie mitbringen? Werden die Unterhaltungen angeregt und die Gespräche amüsant sein? Eine Feier kann man planen, aber ihr gutes Gelingen hängt von den Gästen ab. Dieser erste Beitrag ist daher Einladungskarte und Veranstaltungsprogramm, und beantwortet Fragen der Gäste: Wie wollen wir miteinander feiern, und was unterscheidet diese Feier von anderen? Wer ist der Gastgeber, und welche Rolle spielt er? Was wird das Thema der ersten Tischgespräche sein?

Noch ein Blog? – Das etwas andere Menu

Der Völkerrechtsblog ist nicht das erste Projekt seiner Art. Mit dem Internet wandelt sich die Wissenschaftskommunikation, und auch in der Rechtswissenschaft ergänzt das Bloggen zunehmend etablierte Publikationsformen. Das Völkerrecht 2.0 existiert schon: Englischsprachige Blogs wie EJIL Talk! oder Opinio Juris sind wichtige Medien des internationalen Völkerrechtsdiskurses geworden, und in Deutschland debattieren Öffentlich-Rechtler auf dem Verfassungsblog oder Juwiss (siehe auch unsere Linkliste). Was macht also das Menu des neuen Völkerrechtsblogs aus und unterscheidet es von den Feiern, die schon voll in Schwung sind? Wir haben drei Merkmale im Sinn: Perspektive, Format und ein Mix aus Neuem und Bewährtem.

Der Völkerrechtsblog bietet einen eigenen Ort für völkerrechtliche Perspektiven vor allem aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum. Er soll Eigenstand und Eigenart der Völkerrechtswissenschaft im deutschsprachigen Raum ausdrücken – und sie zugleich ins Gespräch bringen: Mit anderen Rechtsdisziplinen, mit Nachbarwissenschaften, und mit dem internationalen Diskurs. Zu diesem Ins-Gespräch-kommen eignet sich das grenzenlose Medium Internet ohnehin, und ist umso wichtiger für eine Wissenschaft mit globalem Gegenstand. Diese eigenständige und zugleich offene Perspektive unterscheidet den Völkerrechtsblog sowohl von englischsprachigen Völkerrechtssites als auch von deutschsprachigen öffentlich-rechtlichen Blogs.

Das zweite, besondere Menu-Merkmal ist das dialogische Format des Völkerrechtsblogs. Dieses Format soll die Stärken des Bloggens als neuer Form der Wissenschaftskommunikation ausnutzen – denn was kann der Blog, was klassische Monografien und Aufsätze nicht (so gut) können? Das Bloggen erleichtert vor allem den unmittelbaren Austausch von These und Gegenthese, von Argumenten und Gegenargumenten. Das Markenzeichen des Völkerrechtsblogs ist daher das Format von direkter Rede und Gegenrede: Wir laden unsere AutorInnen besonders ein, in ihrem Beitrag eine klare These zu vertreten und zu untermauern, und andere, darauf eine Replik mit Gegenthese und/oder Gegenargumenten folgen zu lassen. Denn die besten Tischgespräche sind meist jene, bei denen man in höflicher und anregender Weise unterschiedlicher Meinung ist. Zweck dieser Gespräche ist nicht Kritik zu üben, sondern thematisch verwandte AutorInnen zusammenzubringen, Argumente auszutauschen, Perspektiven zu variieren, und gemeinsam am wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisfortschritt zu arbeiten. Der Völkerrechtsblog hat dieses Format von Beitrag und Replik also zum Markenzeichen – ist aber gleichwohl offen für Variationen und andere Beitragsformen (siehe dazu unsere AutorInnenhinweise).

Drittens kombiniert das Völkerrechtsblog-Menu die Stärken neuer Medien mit bewährten Elementen klassischer Rechtswissenschaft: Der Blog ermöglicht schnelle Reaktionen auf aktuelle Entwicklungen und öffnet einen virtuellen Raum jenseits traditioneller Institutionen und Hierarchien. Zugleich sichert er das wissenschaftliche Profil des Blogs und fachliches Feedback für Autoren durch ein schlankes peer review Verfahren, das eine weitere Reflexionsstufe bietet und getragen wird von einem wissenschaftlichen Beirat im Rahmen des Arbeitskreises junger VölkerrechtlerInnen. An diesen nicht-virtuellen Zusammenschluss ist unser virtuelles Projekt auch insgesamt angebunden. Es gründet sich damit solide auf einem Kreis von KollegInnen, die sich persönlich kennen, an Lehrstühlen arbeiten, auf Konferenzen treffen, in Fachzeitschriften zusammenarbeiten und so die Rückbindung des Völkerrechtsblogs an klassische Formen und etablierte Vertreter der Völkerrechtswissenschaft sicherstellen.

Der Gastgeber – der Arbeitskreis junger VölkerrechtlerInnen

Der Arbeitskreis junger VölkerrechtlerInnen (AjV) versteht sich als Gastgeber des Völkerrechtsblogs. Der AjV ist ein wachsender Zusammenschluss von Promovierenden und Habilitierenden aus dem Völkerrecht und seinen Nachbarwissenschaften mit Basis in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. Er ist aus jährlichen Workshops hervorgegangen und zunehmend aktiv in anderen Konferenzen und Kooperationen (siehe unter der Kategorie Service). Seit 2009 betreibt der AjV einen elektronischen Newsletter und eine interne Website. Beides geht nach einem sorgfältigen Diskussionsprozess im AjV (und darüber hinaus) nun im Völkerrechtsblog auf. Fester Bestandteil des Völkerrechtsblogs ist daher schon jetzt die Kategorie „Service“, die monatlich über Veranstaltungen, Stellen und Call for Papers informiert. Aus dem AjV rekrutiert sich auch die Redaktion des Völkerrechtsblogs, die den Blog betreibt und inhaltliche Impulse setzt. Der wissenschaftliche Beirat vereint fortgeschrittene AjV-Mitglieder, an internationalen Universitäten lehrende VölkerrechtlerInnen, und Blog-Erfahrene, die unser Kooperationsverhältnis zu Verfassungs- und Juwiss-Blog pflegen.

Als Gastgeber möchte der AjV selbst für gute Konversation sorgen und der jungen Generation von NachwuchsvölkerrechtlerInnen eine eigene Plattform bieten. Die Mitglieder des AjV haben nach 1990 studiert, sind also akademisch sozialisiert in einer Welt ohne einfaches Freund-Feind-Schema, in der das Völkerrecht an Bedeutung zunimmt und zugleich Rückschläge erleidet, in der sozialer und technologischer Wandel das Völkerrecht und seine Wissenschaft immer neu herausfordern – wofür das Internet vielleicht wiederum das prominenteste Beispiel ist. Der Völkerrechtsblog spiegelt wieder, wie sich diese Generation neugierig den Herausforderungen stellt, wie sie Standpunkte findet, Meinungen ausdifferenziert, neue Themen entdeckt und ungewöhnlichen Argumentationen nachgeht.

Zugleich hält ein guter Gastgeber das Gespräch offen für andere. Die Tür steht weit offen und jeder mit Interesse am Völkerrecht ist herzlich eingeladen das Wort zu ergreifen. Blogposts von etablierten VölkerrechtlerInnen, NachbarwissenschaftlerInnen, PraktikerInnen und AutorInnen aller Welt sind jederzeit willkommen! Wir hoffen auf deutsch- wie englischsprachige Beiträge, und besonders auf transdisziplinäre und internationale Gespräche über unseren gemeinsamen Forschungsgegenstand. Critical international law, gender studies, law in context – je vielfältiger, desto besser. Schon jetzt hat die Redaktion aktiv Beiträge inner- und außerhalb des AjV und aus einem breiten thematischen und methodischen Spektrum eingeworben – und wir freuen uns auf viele weitere Gäste aus aller Welt.

Das Auftaktgespräch – Zukunft des Völkerrechts

Den Auftakt des Völkerrechtsblogs bildet ein Diskussionsschwerpunkt über die „Zukunft des Völkerrechts“ – ein Thema, das die junge Generation von VölkerrechtlerInnen besonders angeht. Anhand konkreter Streitfragen diskutieren NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen inhaltliche, methodische und transdisziplinäre Aspekte der Zukunft des Völkerrechts und seiner Wissenschaft in ihrem spezifischen Forschungsgebiet. Wie wird sich das Völkerrecht im jeweiligen Forschungsfeld in den nächsten 30 Jahren verändern? Wie wandeln sich Völkerrechtssubjekte, Streitbeilegung, internationale Institutionen? Wie die Nord-Süd-Beziehungen, wie das Verhältnis von Geschlecht und Recht? Wie beeinflussen technologische Entwicklungen das Völkerrecht und die Kommunikation über Völkerrecht? Welche Methoden werden kommen und gehen? So bietet der Auftakt nicht nur einen Aperçu der jungen Völkerrechtswissenschaft im deutschsprachigen Raum, sondern auch Gelegenheit, Positionen herauszuarbeiten und schärfen, und zugleich das Bloggen als neue Form der Wissenschaftskommunikation zu reflektieren.

Um einen thematischen Vorgeschmack auf das reichhaltige Menu zu geben: Wir eröffnen den Völkerrechtsblog mit einem Beitrag von Matthias Kettemann zur Zukunft des Internetvölkerrechts, kommentiert von Michael Riegner. Unsere Beirätin Alexandra Kemmerer vergewissert sich in „Völkerrechtsgeschichten“ der Zukunft und Vergangenheit des Völkerrechts, kommentiert von Markus Payk und Robert Howse. Methoden und den „Turn to Principles“ adressiert Jochen Rauber, kommentiert von Matthias Goldmann. Weitere Autoren diskutieren die Zukunft des Gewaltverbots und internationaler Streitbeilegung, von Wirtschaftsvölkerrecht und internationalem Arbeitsrecht. Gastautoren aus Australien und den USA diskutieren die Dominanz der englischen Sprache im Völkerrecht, und Besuch aus Italien vollführt den Tanz der Disziplinen in „international law and dance“.

Es wird also schon einiges geboten, auf der beginnenden Völkerrechtsblog-Feier. All dies soll vor allem eines: Appetit machen auf mehr, und anregen zum Schreiben. Welche Zukunftsfragen beschäftigen euch in eurer Forschung? Wozu möchtet ihr sonst Stellung nehmen, oder replizieren? Eure Beiträge nehmen wir gerne unter ajv.kontakt@gmail.com entgegen, AutorInnenhinweise findet ihr hier. Einträge für die Kategorie „Service“ nehmen wir gerne unter ajvnewsletterredaktion@gmail.com entgegen.

Aufregend ist es, wie sich die Gespräche auf dem Völkerrechtsblog nun entwickeln werden, wie sich der Austausch gestaltet. Eine gute Feier kann man wie gesagt nicht planen. Aber man kann die richtigen Leute einladen. In diesem Sinne: Herzlich willkommen!

Dana Schmalz ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Max Planck Institut für Völkerrecht und ausländisches öffentliches Recht in Heidelberg.

Michael Riegner ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter an der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen und derzeit Hauser Global LLM Scholar an der NYU Law School.

Job Opening: Univ. of Cambridge (Fixed-term Lecturer)

The University of Cambridge Faculty of Law invites applications for a full-time Temporary Lectureship (1-year fixed term) in International Law commencing on October 1, 2014, for a fixed period of one year. The advertisement is here.

Dubin & Runavot: Le phénomène institutionnel international dans tous ses états : transformation, déformation ou reformation ?

Laurence Dubin & Marie-Clotilde Runavot have published Le phénomène institutionnel international dans tous ses états : transformation, déformation ou reformation ? (Pedone 2014). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:
Le phénomène institutionnel international est dans tous ses états ; le modèle de l’organisation intergouvernementale représentative des Etats membres s’essouffle et côtoie de plus en plus d’institutions dans lesquelles acteurs publics et privés se disputent l’exercice du pouvoir. Qu’il se transforme, se déforme ou se reforme, le phénomène institutionnel international apparaît comme un objet d’étude foisonnant que l’analyse juridique est néanmoins en mesure de « discipliner ». Pour cela, le juriste dispose des outils classiques du droit international des organisations internationales (théorie de la personnalité juridique, droit de la responsabilité internationale…), mais peut, au-delà, interroger les nouvelles notions charriées par la gouvernance globale (partenariats public/privé, accountability). Universitaires et praticiens se sont ainsi réunis pour mieux appréhender les transformations constatées des institutions internationales. Quelles en sont les incidences pour le droit international, ses catégories, sa formation, son application ?

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

deGuzman: The International Criminal Court’s Gravity Jurisprudence at Ten

Margaret M. deGuzman (Temple Univ. - Law) has posted The International Criminal Court’s Gravity Jurisprudence at Ten (Global Studies Law Review, Vol. 12, No. 475, 2013). Here's the abstract:
This Essay, prepared for a symposium on “The International Criminal Court at Ten,” analyzes the ICC’s early jurisprudence on the gravity threshold for admissibility in Article 17 of the Rome Statute. It argues that the threshold, while useful in garnering support for ratification of the Rome Statute, now seems destined to play a minor role in determining the ICC’s reach. While there are multiple possible explanations for this development, an important doctrinal cause identified in the jurisprudence is that the gravity threshold for admissibility is in tension with the Rome Statute’s provisions regarding jurisdiction. At least with regard to the admissibility of cases (as opposed to “situations”), the judges have concluded that interpreting the gravity threshold to exclude certain types of defendants or crimes from the Court’s reach would amount to an impermissible revision of the Court’s jurisdiction. To avoid this outcome, the judges have developed a flexible multi-factor approach to the gravity threshold that enables them to justify admitting virtually any case within the Court’s jurisdiction. The Essay concludes by arguing that, in light of the tension between admissibility and jurisdiction, the judges are right to relegate the gravity threshold to a minor role in determining the cases the Court adjudicates. To the extent the judges seek to limit the ICC’s reach, they should do so by interpreting the Court’s jurisdictional provisions directly rather than through the back door of admissibility.

Symposium: The Practices of the International Criminal Court

The latest issue of Law and Contemporary Problems (Vol. 76, nos. 3-4, 2014) contains a symposium on "The Practices of the International Criminal Court." Contents include:
  • Jens Meierhenrich, The Practice of International Law: A Theoretical Analysis
  • Noah Weisbord, Bargaining Practices: Negotiating the Kampala Compromise for the International Criminal Court
  • Philipp Ambach & Klaus U. Rackwitz, A Model Of International Judicial Administration? The Evolution Of Managerial Practices at the International Criminal Court
  • Alex Whiting, Dynamic Investigative Practice at the International Criminal Court
  • Karim A. A. Khan & Anand A. Shah, Defensive Practices: Representing Clients Before the International Criminal Court
  • Sara Kendall & Sarah Nouwen, Representational Practices at the International Criminal Court: The Gap Between Juridified and Abstract Victimhood
  • Joseph Hoover, Moral Practices: Assigning Responsibility in the International Criminal Court
  • Frédéric Mégret, Practices Of Stigmatization
  • Wouter G. Werner, “We Cannot Allow Ourselves to Imagine What it All Means”: Documentary Practices and the International Criminal Court

New Issue: Journal of International Organizations Studies

The latest issue of the Journal of International Organizations Studies (Vol. 5, no. 1, Spring 2014) is out. Contents include:
  • Special Issue: Micropolitics Meets Geopolitics: Internal Dynamics and Dysfunctions of International Organizations
    • Julian Junk & Frederik Trettin, Internal Dynamics and Dysfunctions of International Organizations—An Introduction to the Special Issue
    • Frederik Trettin & Julian Junk, Spoilers from Within: Bureaucratic Spoiling in United Nations Peace Operations
    • Elisabeth Schöndorf, How to Deal with Spoilers: Dissent-Shirking, Obstruction, and Coping Strategies with the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor
    • Dennis Dijkzeul & Claude Iguma Wakenge, Proselytizing as Spoiling from Within? Comparing Proselytizing by UN Peacekeepers in the Sudan and the DR Congo
    • Sebastian Schindler, The Morality of Bureaucratic Politics: Allegations of “Spoiling” in a UN Inter-Agency War
    • Joel Gwyn Winckler, Protectionism within the Organization of United Nations Peacekeeping: Assessing the Disconnection between Headquarters and Mission Perspectives
    • John Karlsrud, Multiple Actors and Centers of Agency? Examining the UN as a Competitive Arena for Norm Change

Tait Slys: Exporting Legality: The Rise and Fall of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in the Ottoman Empire and China

Mariya Tait Slys has posted Exporting Legality: The Rise and Fall of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in the Ottoman Empire and China. Here's the abstract:
How did two radically different legal cultures, those of the Ottomans and the Chinese, gradually acquire a legal architecture analogous to that of Europe? This ePaper attempts to answer this question by providing a comparative study in legal history of the rise and demise of extraterritorial consular jurisdiction, utilizing a post-colonial and inter-disciplinary approach to international law. The study reveals that the establishment of consular jurisdiction during the nineteenth century was closely linked to the process of legal ‘modernization’ that affected many Asian and Arab societies. As such, this study contributes to the explanation of the gradual convergence of many non-Western traditional legal cultures with typically continental legal structures. This ePaper provides an in-depth analysis of the origin, further development and termination of this controversial institution of public international law as applied to the Ottoman Empire and China.

New Issue: Diritti umani e diritto internazionale

The latest issue of Diritti umani e diritto internazionale (Vol. 7, no. 3, 2013) is out. Contents include:
  • Studi
    • Lorenzo Gradoni, Raccontare "Kadi" dopo "Kadi II": perché la Corte di giustizia dell'Unione europea non transige sul rispetto dei diritti umani nella lotta al terrorismo
    • Fabrizio Marongiu Buonaiuti, Rinuncia all'immunità dello Stato estero dalle misure coercitive e tutela del diritto di accesso alla giustizia in alcune pronunce recenti della "Cour de cassation" francese
    • Christian Ponti, Trasferimenti di armi, diritti umani e diritto umanitario. Spunti di riflessione dopo l'adozione del Trattato sul commercio delle armi convenzionali
  • Il Caso
    • Enrico Grosso, Riformare la legge elettorale per via giudiziaria? Un'indebita richiesta di 'supplenza' alla Corte costituzionale, di fronte all'ennesima disfatta della politica
    • Massimo Starita, Convenzione europea dei diritti umani e problemi di costituzionalità della legge elettorale italiana
  • Interventi
    • Giulia Borgna, Il sistema di prevenzione istituito dal Protocollo opzionale alla Convenzione ONU contro la tortura: tassello mancante o inutile duplicazione?
    • Michele Nino, Il caso "Datagate": i problemi di compatibilità del programma di sorveglianza PRISM con la normativa europea sulla protezione dei dati personali e della privacy
  • Osservatorio
    • Marco Citelli, Foreste e sviluppo economico, fra valori non monetari e strumenti di mercato: i lavori del decimo Forum delle Nazioni Unite sulle foreste
    • Concetta Maria Pontecorvo, Verso un Accordo internazionale sulle foreste in Europa: il "Draft Negotiating Text" e la posizione delle organizzazioni internazionali non governative
    • Maria Luisa Padelletti, Il Protocollo n. 15 alla Convenzione europea dei diritti dell'uomo: quali prospettive per i ricorsi individuali alla Corte europea?

Monday, May 5, 2014

Call for Papers: CCIL 43rd Annual Conference

The Canadian Council of International Law has issued a call for papers for its 43rd Annual Conference, to take place November 13-15, 2014, in Ottawa. The theme is "Combustion: Energy, Resources, and Environmental Issues Igniting International Law." Here's the call:

The Canadian Council on International Law is pleased to announce its 43rd Annual Conference: "Combustion: Energy, Resources, and Environmental Issues Igniting International Law". Practitioners and legal scholars are invited to submit paper and presentation proposals relating to the theme of energy, natural resources, and related environmental issues.

At a time when environmental degradation and the supply of energy are of increasing global concern, international law provides an opportunity for rules-based multilateralism. What is the role of international law in the promotion of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility? Is international law an influential tool to address climate change? What lessons can be gleaned from twenty years of arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement and Energy Charter Treaty?

The 2014 Annual Conference will explore the role of international law in global energy transactions, resource extraction and environmental issues. In particular, it will foster discussion of the international economic, humanitarian, and human rights facets of this theme. Topics will include but are not limited to the arbitration of mining and energy disputes, the role of the private sector in sustainable development, civil and criminal liability in the extractive industries, and the illegal wildlife trade. Confirmed speakers include representatives from the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, various UN agencies, and leading global law firms.

The Conference invites the active participation of practitioners, academics, and students in the international legal community. Paper proposals or summaries of proposed presentations in English or French should be no longer than a single page in length and should include a biographical statement or curriculum vitae. Proposals are due June 9, 2014 and should be sent to manager@ccil-ccdi.ca with "Annual Conference Call for Papers" in the subject line.

Powell: Gender Indicators as Global Governance: This Is Not Your Father's World Bank

Catherine Powell (Fordham Univ. - Law) has posted Gender Indicators as Global Governance: This Is Not Your Father's World Bank (in Big Data, Big Challenges in Evidence-Based Policy Making, Kumar Jayasuriya ed., forthcoming). Here's the abstract:
As feminism has come of age, it has powerfully instantiated itself into global governance. What are the tools feminism has borrowed – even co-opted – to embed itself within governance? Do these tools enhance or diminish the libratory potential of feminism? This paper looks at one tool – the use of quantitative indicators to advance gender equality in global governance. The paper focuses on the World Bank’s relatively new Women, Business and the Law program, as a microcosm of the recent explosion and popularity of gender indicators.

Reisman & Skinner: Fraudulent Evidence before Public International Tribunals: The Dirty Stories of International Law

W. Michael Reisman (Yale Univ. - Law) & Christina Skinner (Zuckerman Spaeder LLP) have published Fraudulent Evidence before Public International Tribunals: The Dirty Stories of International Law (Cambridge Univ. Press 2014). Here's the abstract:
Domestic lawyers are, above all, officers of the court. By contrast, the public international lawyer representing states before international tribunals is torn between loyalties to the state and loyalties to international law. As the stakes increase for the state concerned, the tension between these loyalties can become acute and lead to practices that would be condemned in developed national legal systems but have hitherto been ignored by international tribunals in international legal scholarship. They are the 'dirty stories' of international law. This detailed and contextually sensitive presentation of eight important cases before a variety of public international tribunals dissects some of the reasons for the resort to fraudulent evidence in international litigation and the profession's baffling reaction. Fraudulent evidence is resorted to out of greed, moral mediocrity or inherent dishonesty. In public international litigation, by contrast, the reasons are often more complex, with roots in the dynamics of international politics.

Wollbrink: A Violation of International Law as a Necessary Element of a 'Threat to the Peace' under the UN Charter

Stephan Wollbrink has published A Violation of International Law as a Necessary Element of a 'Threat to the Peace' under the UN Charter (Nomos 2014). Here's the abstract:
The thesis discusses whether a violation of international law is a necessary element of a “threat to the peace” under Art. 39 of the UN Charter. This question is of great practical importance, particularly in relation to international terrorism and armament with weapons of mass destruction. The author begins with an analysis of the resolutions of the Security Council and an interpretation of the UN Charter. Having come to the conclusion that a violation of international law is a prerequisite for enforcement measures, the author then examines the requirements regarding the violation of international law, effects on the effectiveness of the measures of the Security Council and potential exceptions.

Klein: Litigating International Law Disputes: Weighing the Options

Natalie Klein (Macquarie Univ. - Law) has published Litigating International Law Disputes: Weighing the Options (Cambridge Univ. Press 2014). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:
Litigating International Law Disputes provides a fresh understanding of why states resort to international adjudication or arbitration to resolve international law disputes. A group of leading scholars and practitioners discern the reasons for the use of international litigation and other modes of dispute settlement by examining various substantive areas of international law (such as human rights, trade, environment, maritime boundaries, territorial sovereignty and investment law) as well as considering case studies from particular countries and regions. The chapters also canvass the roles of international lawyers, NGOs, and private actors, as well as the political dynamics of disputes, and identify emergent trends in dispute settlement for different areas of international law.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Call for Papers: Transnational Standards in the Domestic Legal Order: Authority and Legitimacy (Reminder)

As noted previously, the research project Architecture of Postnational Rulemaking at the University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Law, is seeking paper proposals for a workshop on "Transnational Standards in the Domestic Legal Order: Authority and Legitimacy," to be held on October 24, 2014. The deadline is May 18, 2014.

Raveling: Self-Representation Before International Criminal Tribunals

Sarah Raveling has published Self-Representation Before International Criminal Tribunals (Nomos 2014). Here's the abstract:
This book assesses the practical repercussions of self-representation on the conduct of international criminal proceedings. It discusses above all the actual implications of defendants acting as their own counsel for international criminal trials. The book looks at the current situation of recognition, exercise, and restriction of self-representation before international criminal tribunals, outlining the significant developments of this practical framework over the years. This book argues that in order to safeguard the overall guarantee of fair and expeditious proceedings, the active participation of defendants has to see a different implementation in future international criminal proceedings.