And here's the call:The world of the 21st century is likely to become more multi-polar and multi-civilizational than it was in the 20th century. China and India are expected to become superpowers, rivaling the US. Such a multi-polarization of power will mean that there is a greater mix of cultures and religions in the international society. The legal regimes led by the West in the 20th century, with democracy, human rights and capitalism at their core will remain, but the voices of Asia and the Islamic world will be stronger. Western values with regard to issues such as the protection of the global environment and the relationship between human rights and religions will no longer necessarily dominate. The increasing diversification of the global community in the 21st century is a development that should be welcomed.
How will the international legal order transform itself amidst such a shift of power and values in the global community? This is an important challenge facing humankind in the 21st century. It is an urgent issue requiring serious deliberation, especially for the Asian people, who are expected to play an important role in the diversification of power and values. What should we do to bring about a desirable transformation of international law? In the past, the international legal order was led by the West. The Asian nations and peoples were limited to taking a reactive stance, merely utilizing the given systems of international law and criticizing the points with which they were dissatisfied. Such a reactive stance is not appropriate for an Asia which equals the West economically and makes arguments on an equal footing with the West. Asia needs to make its own proposals regarding the manner in which international law can support the world of the 21st century and realize the common interests of humankind. Asia must share fair and equitable responsibility for the international legal order, its ideas and systems.
The Asian Society of International Law, upon hosting its Second Biennial General Conference in Tokyo, will take up this important issue of Asia’s relationship with the international legal order under the main theme of “International Law in a Multi-polar and Multi-civilizational World – Asian Perspectives, Challenges and Contributions.” At the Conference, learned, experienced, aspiring international law scholars and practitioners from around the world will learn from each other, exchange views critically, and disseminate the results all over the world. We sincerely hope to see many people participate in the Conference so that it can be an opportunity to understand the law and reality of the global community, challenge its dominant premises and understandings, and make constructive proposals for the international legal order in a multi-polar and multi-civilizational world.
The Second Biennial General Conference of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) will be held on 1-2 August 2009 at the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The theme of the Conference is: "International Law in a Multi-polar and Multi-civilizational World: Asian Perspectives, Challenges and Contributions".
The Call for Papers for this Conference concerns four different types of Papers: Plenary Session 1, three Agora Panels (A1-A3), three Panels of Session A (A4-A6) and three Panels of Session B and C. [Click on the links for specific proposal requirements for each panel. Reference should also be made to the conference tentative program.]
The Organizing Committee seeks to encourage the participation in the Conference of all international lawyers, whether young professionals or established scholars, academics or practitioners, by inviting submissions of papers or proposals for speakers or discussants in all sessions and panels.
To truly represent the spirit of "Multi-polar and Multi-civilizational" perspectives, speakers and discussants will be selected through a competitive process without any prejudice to factors such as race, gender, language, religious background and geographical location. Papers of the discussants in Plenary Session I, and the panelists of Panel Sessions A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and A6 will be selected by the Selection Committee, which will work independently of the Organizing Committee. The panelists of Panel Sessions B1, B2 and C3 will be selected by the organizers of these panels.
Note should be taken that presentation shall be made only in English because of the limited time of the Sessions of the Conference. However, respecting the multitude of different cultures and languages in the region, the paper may be written in any language on the condition that English translation should be attached to the paper and the responsibilities for the English translation, including the quality of the translation and the accompanying cost of the translation, should be assumed by the applicant. The selection of the paper should be made only on the basis of the English paper, whether it is written originally in English or translated into English.
An applicant can submit his or her papers for up to two panels, though he or she will not be selected for more than one panel. Any such applicant must indicate in each paper that he or she is applying for two panels, and must provide details of the second paper being submitted, including the title of the paper and the panel.
The Conference Organizers have been making every effort to obtain funds to be used to subsidize the travel expenses of panelists and discussants. At the time of issuing the Call for Papers, we are still not in a position to guarantee this support. Efforts will continue and a further announcement will be made on this in due course.
All speakers at the Conference must be members of the Society. A non-member may respond to the Call for Papers but if selected, will be expected to join promptly. Their position on the programme will not be confirmed until this has been done.
