d'Aspremont: L'Etat non démocratique en droit international: étude critique du droit international positif et de la pratique contemporaine

Jean d'Aspremont (Univ. of Leiden - Law) has published L'Etat non démocratique en droit international: étude critique du droit international positif et de la pratique contemporaine (Pedone 2008). Here's the abstract:

Après une présentation de la pratique contemporaine de la non-démocratie et du discours qui la sous-tend, l'auteur examine ce qu'est un Etat non démocratique, quelle est sa légitimité, ainsi que la question de la coexistence au sein des organisations internationales. Il montre ensuite ce qu'est la coopération avec un tel Etat: relations et sanctions, responsabilité internationale.

Tavernier & Henckaerts: Droit international humanitaire coutumier: enjeux et défis contemporains

Paul Tavernier (l’Université de Paris XI) & Jean-Marie Henckaerts (International Committee of the Red Cross) have published Droit international humanitaire coutumier: enjeux et défis contemporains (Bruylant 2008). Contents include:

• Philip Spoerri, Ouverture du colloque
• Message du Secrétaire général de la Francophonie, S. Exc. M. Abdou Diouf
• Maurice Kamto, Quand la coutume sort du bois . . .
• Paul Tavernier, De l’utilité de l’Etude du CICR sur le droit international humanitaire coutumier
• Jean-Marie Henckaerts, Etude du CICR sur le droit international humanitaire coutumier: objet, caractéristiques, conclusions et pertinence
• Jean-Philippe Lavoyer, Droit international humanitaire et règles coutumières au XXIe siècle: Remarques liminaires
• Jean-Luc Florent, Opposabilité de l’étude du CICR sur le droit international humanitaire coutumier aux États
• Eric David, Opposabilité du droit international humanitaire coutumier aux acteurs non étatiques
• Eric David, L’objecteur persistant, une règle persistante?
• Catherine Bergeal, La coutume et la conduite des hostilités
• Yves Sandoz, Le droit international humanitaire coutumier: reflet de valeurs Fondamentales?: Remarques liminaires
• Stelios Perrakis, Le droit international humanitaire et ses relations avec les droits de l’Homme. Quelques considérations
• Djamchid Momtaz, La criminalisation des violations graves du droit international humanitaire commises au cours des conflits armés non internationaux
• William Schabas, La place de la coutume dans les travaux des Commissions Vérité, Justice et Réconciliation: le cas de la Sierra Leone
• Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Coutume: espace de création et d’activisme pour le juge et pour les organisations non gouvernementales
• Yves Sandoz, Conclusions de la table ronde 2 Droit international humanitair coutumier: reflet de valeurs fondamentales
• Philip Spoerri, Règles coutumières et mise en oeuvre du droit international humanitaire: Remarques liminaires
• François Bugnion, Le droit international humanitaire coutumier et les conflits armés non internationaux
• Luigi Condorelli, La place de la coutume dans la justice pénale internationale au regard, en particulier, du TPIY et du TPIR
• Mario Bettati, La coutume et la lutte contre l’impunité: principe et pratique
• Emmanuel Decaux, La coutume internationale comme preuve d’une pratique générale acceptée comme étant le droit
• Philip Spoerri, Remarques conclusives
• Françoise Fromageau, Message du Président de la Croix-Rouge française, M. Jean-François Mattéi
• Philippe Kirsch, Droit international humanitaire coutumier: mesures assurant son respect et le rôle de la Cour pénale internationale
• Philip Spoerri, Remarques conclusives

Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice Speaker Series

Here's the schedule for this fall's Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at the University of Texas School of Law Human Rights Speaker Series:

• September 22 - Daniel Blocq (Royal Netherlands Navy & University of Wisconsin-Madison), “UN Military Observers at Work”
• October 6 - Dan Connell (Simmons College), “From Resistance to Governance: How the EPLF/PFDJ Experience Shapes Eritrea's Regional Strategy”
• October 20 - Roberto Gargarella (Universidad de Buenos Aires), “The Philosophy of Punishment, Human Rights, and International Criminal Law”
• November 3 - Helena Alviar Garcia (Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá), “The Progressive Redistribution of Land in Latin America: Between Economic Development and Positivism”
• November 17 - Philippe Sands (University College London - Law), "The Torture Team: International Criminal Liability for Lawyers?"

Sloane: Breaking the Genuine Link: The Contemporary International Legal Regulation of Nationality

Robert D. Sloane (Boston Univ. - Law) has posted Breaking the Genuine Link: The Contemporary International Legal Regulation of Nationality (Harvard International Law Journal, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

The concept of nationality serves indispensable functions in international law. It traditionally mediated the relationship between the individual and the state in a bygone era in which international law regarded only the latter as a genuine subject of the law; and in contemporary international law, its roles have expanded. Yet apart from treaty constraints voluntarily assumed by states, today, as in the past, it remains unclear whether and, if so, how international law limits the otherwise almost plenary competence of states to confer their nationality by internal law in a way entitled to international recognition. After the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) 1955 judgment in Nottebohm, however, international lawyers began to express the limit purportedly imposed by general international law with a kind of doctrinal mantra: a state's national, to be a bona fide national entitled to recognition as such at the international level, must have a "genuine link" to that state.

This article critiques the genuine link theory and proposes a functional account of nationality, which, it argues, is descriptively more accurate and normatively more constructive. It first revisits Nottebohm in some detail in an effort to show that the generally accepted reading of that opinion, particularly as it has evolved into a doctrine of broad application, is triply misguide - first, on the opinion's own terms; second, in view of the positive international law of the era; and third, because of contemporary international law's evolution to respond effectively to the needs of the modern global political economy. Nottebohm is properly read as a narrow decision in which the ICJ tacitly invoked a general principle of law to prevent what it saw as a manipulative effort by the claimant, a German by birth, to evade a critical part of the law of war. The principle of abuse of rights, although casually dismissed by some dissents and contemporaneous commentators, better explains and justifies the opinion. If this is right, the ICJ did not, contrary to a view broadly held by both proponents and critics of Nottebohm, judicially legislate a novel rule regulating nationality by means of the genuine link doctrine.

Whatever the merits of this rereading of Nottebohm, today, the genuine link theory often proves anachronistic in view of changes in the diverse functions that nationality serves in international law. To illustrate, the article suggests that the general principle prohibiting abuses of rights - not coincidentally, the actual rationale for Nottebohm - would also be more appropriate and effective than the genuine link theory to regulate nationality in one contemporary context that has provoked debate recently: investor-state arbitration. But the abuse-of-rights principle is no panacea. The point of emphasis is that an atomized conception of nationality, which has been liberated from the genuine link theory, would better serve international policy in fields including international criminal law, human rights, E.U. law, and others. The article concludes that nationality, which is by definition an aggregate concept, should be candidly disaggregated by the functions it serves, and its international legal regulation should vary commensurately.

Jouannet, Ruiz Fabri, & Sorel: Regards d'une génération sur le droit international

Emmanuelle Jouannet (l'Université de Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne - Law), Hélène Ruiz Fabri (l'Université de Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne - Law), & Jean-Marc Sorel (l'Université de Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne - Law) have published Regards d'une génération sur le droit international (Pedone 2008). Here's the abstract:

« Quelle est votre vision du droit international à l'aube du XXIe siècle ? ». Telle est la question posée à près d'une trentaine de spécialistes du droit internatiUnal provenant des cinq continents mais qui ont pour point commun d'être tous nés peu avant ou peu après 1960. Cet ouvrage réunit ainsi les contributions de ce qu'on peut considérer comme une génération, pour faire le point sur la manière dont elle « pense » le droit international. L'idée à l'origine de cette réflexion collective est que chaque génération a des repères événementiels qui jouent un rôle déterminant au moment de passer à l'âge d'« adulte pensant » (Mai 1968, Chute du mur de Berlin, 11 septembre 2001, etc.) et que ces repères contribuent à structurer la représentation du droit international. Mais quels sont ceux d'une génération qui peut sembler, par bien des aspects, « intermédiaire » ? L'approche est volontairement large et théorique, et offre des visions surprenantes, souvent très personnalisées, qui nous aident àdéplacer notre point devue. Exercice inusité cette sorte de bilan générationnel mondialisé restitue, avec une liberté inhabituelle dans le ton et le propos, un regard sur le droit international qui représente à son tour une base de réflexion sur ce domaine vivant et en perpétuelle mutation.

ICC: Trial Chamber Rejects Prosecutor's Application to Lift Stay of Proceedings in the Lubanga Case

In a decision handed down yesterday, but only released today, a Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court rejected the Prosecutor's application to lift the stay of proceedings in the case of The Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. (Trial Chamber decision here; ICC press release here.) The stay was imposed on June 13, 2008, following the Trial Chamber's finding that the Prosecutor had not disclosed potentially exculpatory evidence to the accused, as required by the Court's Statute. The Chamber noted that, while some of the requirements set out in the court's earlier ruling had been met, the Prosecutor's actions to date were still insufficient. The underlying decision on the Prosecutor's obligation to disclose evidence is currently on appeal.

Human Rights Committee Election

Today, the States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights elected nine individuals to serve on the Human Rights Committee for four-year terms beginning January 1, 2009. They were: Michael O'Flaherty (Ireland); Rajsoomer Lallah (Mauritius); Mohammed Ayat (Morocco); Krister Thelin (Sweden); Fabian Omar Salvioli (Argentina); Ahmad Amin Fathalla (Egypt); Nigel Rodley (United Kingdom); Rafael Rivas Posada (Colombia); and Lazhari Bouzid (Algeria). The nine other members of the Committee, whose terms expire on December 31, 2008, are: Abdelfattah Amor (Tunisia); Prafullachandra Bhagwati (India); Christine Chanet (France); Yuji Iwasawa (Japan); Helen Keller (Switzerland); Zonke Zanele Majodina (South Africa); Iulia Antonoanella Motoc (Romania); Jóse Luis Pérez Sanchez-Cerro (Peru); and Ruth Wedgwood (United States).

ICTR: Appeals Chamber Judgment in the Case Against Muvunyi

On Friday, August 29th, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda delivered its judgment in the case (No. ICTR-2000-55A) against Tharcisse Muvunyi. Muvunyi was indicted on counts of genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity (rape and other inhumane acts) for allegedly participating in and assisting attacks and massacres on thousands of civilians, mostly Tutsis, in the Butare prefecture. On September 12, 2006, the Trial Chamber found Muvunyi guilty of genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and crimes against humanity (other inhumane acts); he was sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment. (Trial Chamber judgment here; summary here.)

In its judgment (judgment here; press release here; press reports here, here, here, and here), the Appeals Chamber reversed Muvunyi's conviction for genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide (for a speech he gave at Gikonko in Mugusa Commune), and crimes against humanity, quashed his conviction for direct and public incitement to commit genocide (for a speech he gave at the Gikore Trade Center), and quashed the sentence. The Court found, in part, that the indictment was defective. A re-trial was ordered on the allegation of direct and public incitement to commit genocide for the speech Muvunyi gave at the Gikore Trade Center.

ICJ: Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine) (Hearings)

The International Court of Justice is holding public hearings this week, next week, and the week after (ending September 19) in the case concerning Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine). The case concerns the delimitation of the exclusive economic zones and continental shelf appertaining to Romania and Ukraine in the Black Sea. Case documents, including the application, written proceedings, and the verbatim record of the current hearings, are available here.

New Issue: Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The latest issue of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law (Vol. 41, no. 3, May 2008) is out. Contents include:

• Cynthia Blum & Paula N. Singer, A Coherent Policy for U.S. Residence-Based Taxation of Individuals
• Luis E. Chiesa, Duress, Demanding Heroism, and Proportionality
• Barnali Choudhury, Recapturing Public Power: Is Investment Arbitration's Engagement of the Public Interest Contributing to the Democratic Deficit?
• Avani Mehta Sood, Gender Justice through Public Interest Litigation: Case Studies from India

WTO Panel Report: Mexico - Definitive Countervailing Measures on Olive Oil from the European Communities

Today, a Panel established by the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body issued its Report on the case Mexico - Definitive Countervailing Measures on Olive Oil from the European Communities (DS341). The European Communities brought the complaint. The full Report can be found here. An excerpt containing just the Panel's conclusions and recommendations can be found here. A summary of the case can be found here.

Corn & Jensen: Transnational Armed Conflict: A "Principled" Approach to the Regulation of Counter-Terror Combat Operations

Geoffrey S. Corn (South Texas College of Law) & Eric Talbot Jensen (Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army) have posted Transnational Armed Conflict: A "Principled" Approach to the Regulation of Counter-Terror Combat Operations. Here's the abstract:

This article asserts that counter-terror military operations should be regulated by fundamental principles of the law of armed conflict. It builds on prior articles asserting an emerging category of transnational armed conflict: conflict between states and non-state groups outside the territory of the state. These prior articles have explained why such a category of armed conflict must be recognized and how the nature of the authority invoked by a state in the conduct of such operations reveals the existence of such armed conflicts. This article focuses on the key law of armed conflict principles that should apply in such situations to regulate the application of combat power and the treatment of non-combatants. It acknowledges that this is only the first step in developing a body of regulatory norms applicable to such armed conflicts, but also points out the correlation between this proposed process and the development of the law applicable to internal armed conflicts.

Workshop: Kennedy

David Kennedy (Brown Univ.) will give a talk today at the Harvard Law School Faculty Workshop on "The Mystery of Global Governance."

NYU Colloquium on Global Governance and Legal Theory

Here's the schedule for this fall's New York University School of Law Hauser Globalization Colloquium on Global Governance and Legal Theory:

• September 10 - David Dyzenhaus (Univ. of Toronto), The Concept of (Global) Administrative Law
• September 24- Eyal Benvenisti (Tel Aviv Univ. - Law) & George Downs (New York Univ.), Toward Global Checks and Balances
• October 1 - Nico Krisch (LSE); and Euan MacDonald and Eran Shamir-Borer (New York Univ.), Global Constitutionalism and Global Administrative Law (two papers)
• October 3 - Neil Walker (Univ. of Edinburgh), Beyond boundary disputes and basic grids: Mapping the global disorder of normative orders
• October 8 - Meg Satterthwaite (New York Univ. - Law), Human Rights Indicators in Global Governance
• October 15 - Janet Levit (Univ. of Tulsa - Law), Bottom-Up Law-Making Through a Pluralist Lens: The ICC Banking Commission and the Transnational Regulation of Letters of Credit
• October 22 -Speaker TBC (Guest commentator: Prof Georges Abi-Saab, Geneva, former member of WTO Appellate Body)
• October 29 - New York University Institute for International Law and Justice and New York University Journal of International Law and Politics joint conference on "The Routinization of Adjudication in Complex International Governance Regimes: Patterns, Possibilities, and Problems"
• November 5 - Robert Keohane (Princeton Univ.) & Kal Raustiala (UCLA - Law), Toward a Post-Kyoto Climate Change Architecture: A Political Analysis
• November 12 - Jeremy Waldron (New York Univ. - Law), Dual Positivization and the Jus Gentium
• November 19 - Benedict Kingsbury (New York Univ. - Law), Global Administrative Law: Conceptual and Theoretical Problems

Georgetown International Legal Theory Colloquium

Here's the schedule for this fall's Georgetown University Law Center International Legal Theory Colloquium:

• September 8 - Judith Kelley, Duke University, Department of Political Science
• September 15 - Anupam Chander, University of California, Davis School of Law
• September 22 - Jacob Cogan, University of Cincinnati College of Law
• September 29 - Tim Sellers, University of Baltimore School of Law
• October 6 - Daniel Abebe, University of Chicago Law School
• October 14 - Jeffrey Dunoff, Temple University Beasley School of Law
• October 20 - Dapo Akande, St Peter's College, University of Oxford
• November 17 - Chimène Keitner, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
• November 24 - Frédéric Mégret, McGill University Faculty of Law
• December 1 - Tino Cuéllar, Stanford Law School

van Aaken: Effectuating Public International Law Through Market Mechanisms?

Anne van Aaken (Univ. of St. Gallen - Law) has posted Effectuating Public International Law Through Market Mechanisms? (Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

Traditionally, the enforcement of Public International Law (PIL) was a task of states: the addressees and the enforcers of PIL were states. That has changed recently. Whereas the influence of private market actors on the making of PIL has been extensively analyzed, the influence of private market actors on the enforcement has been neglected although the idea of using private interests in order to foster social goals has a long history. This article draws on theoretical insights of a rational-choice approach to PIL in order to analyze the prerequisites of effectuating PIL through private market actor incentives and market mechanisms.

Hamburg Lectures on Maritime Affairs 2008

The Hamburg Lectures on Maritime Affairs, sponsored by the International Max Planck Research School for Maritime Affairs and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), address "current developments in the maritime field." Here's the schedule for the 2008 lectures this fall:

August 25, 2008 - “The Athens Convention on Passenger Liability and the EU” - Erik Røsæg (University of Oslo)

September 15, 2008 - “Marine Pollution” - Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum (President, ITLOS), Annick de Marffy (Former Director, DOALOS), Isabelle Corbier (Attorney, Paris), Ramon Gallardo (Attorney, SJ Berwin, Brussels)

September 22, 2008 - “International Civil Litigation and the Pollution of the Marine Environment” - Frank Smeele (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

September 23, 2008 - “Maritime Security” - Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum (President, ITLOS), Judge Shunji Yanai (ITLOS), J. Ashley Roach (Office of the Legal Adviser, US Dept. of State), Augustin Blanco-Bazan (Senior Deputy Director, Legal Affairs, IMO), Dirk Peters (Fregattenkapitän, German Navy)

October 1, 2008 - “Recent Developments in International Maritime Arbitration” - Carlos Esplugues Mota (University of Valencia)

October 16, 2008 - “Maritime Delimitation and International Dispute Settlement” - Lucius Caflisch (Institute of International Studies, Geneva)

October 20, 2008 - “The International Judge” - Cesare Romano (Loyola Law School Los Angeles)

UNCITRAL Report on Its 41st Session

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has released its report on its 41st session (A/63/17), which was held in June 16-July 3, 2008.

New Issue: Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The latest issue of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law (Vol. 41, no. 2, March 2008) is out. Contents include:

• Patrick J. Keenan, Do Norms Still Matter? The Corrosive Effects of Globalization on the Vitality of Norms
• Matthias Lehmann, Liberating the Individual from Battles between States: Justifying Party Autonomy in Conflict of Laws
• Mariana Mota Prado, The Challenges and Risks of Creating Independent Regulatory Agencies: A Cautionary Tale from Brazil
• Uche Ewelukwa Ofodile, Trade, Empires, and Subjects—China-Africa Trade: A New Fair Trade Arrangement, or the Third Scramble for Africa?
• Jonathan L. Marshfield, Authorizing Subnational Constitutions in Transitional Federal States: South Africa, Democracy, and the KwaZulu-Natal Constitution

New Issue: Arbitration: The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management

The latest issue of Arbitration: The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management (Vol. 74, no. 3, July 2008) is out. Contents include:

• Gordon Blanke & Borzu Sabahi, The New World of Unilateral Offers to Arbitrate: Investment Arbitration and EC Merger Control
• R.A. Oliver Bolthausen & Peter H. Acker, Obtaining Discovery in International Arbitral Proceedings: The European v American Mentality
• Vasil Y.E. Marmazov, Pavlo V. Pushkar, & Artem Doudko, Settling International Commercial Disputes in Ukraine; Participants, Legal Framework, Arbitration: Practice and Enforcement of Awards
• Bernard Rix, The Jewish Contribution to the English Legal System
• Graham Dunning, Stop - or Go? Injunctions and Arbitration
• Derek Roebuck, Cleopatra Compromised: Arbitration in Egypt in the First Century BC
• Anthony Connerty, Monetising Natural Gas: The Resolution of Disputes
• Vijay Bhatia & Christopher N. Candlin, International Commercial Arbitration Practices: A Discourse Analytical Study
• D. Mark Cato, What is Reasonable and Satisfactory
• Nael G. Bunni, Dispute Management - Practice and Promise: The Irish Perspective
• Tom Wren, The Minister for Finance's New Public Works Arbitration Rules: A Clash with the Bunreacht in the Waiting?
• Practice Guidelines on Mediation Approved January 8, 2008
• Kenneth T. Salmon, The Enforcement of Adjudicators' Awards under the Housing Grants Construction and Regeneration Act 1996: Part 28
• Hew R. Dundas, Recent Arbitration Cases in the English Courts: Section 69 Appeals by Agreement, Commencement of Arbitration and Discontinuance of Arbitration Applications
• Hew R. Dundas, Partial Enforcement of Arbitral Awards
• Steven Caplow, Quick is Better than Right: Hall Street Associates LLC v Mattel Inc

Symposium: Arctic Sovereignty: Cold Facts, Hot Issues

The Southwestern Journal of International Law will host a symposium, October 3, 2008, in Los Angeles. The topic is "Arctic Sovereignty: Cold Facts, Hot Issues." The program is here. Why attend?

With the Arctic ice melting, anticipated increases in Arctic shipping, tourism and economic activity, Russia's flag-planting at the North Pole last summer, and the recent Greenland summit, there has been tremendous attention given to the "race to the Arctic." For Canada, climate change and runaway oil prices have vaulted Arctic sovereignty to the top of Ottawa's economic, defense, and diplomatic concerns. For the U.S., the legal issues related to the Arctic and the Northwest Passage have recently taken on increased importance, spurring a renewed interest in joining the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention.

Drawing on Southwestern's strong ties with Canada, this one-day symposium will bring together leading legal figures from throughout North America to analyze the critical issues raised by the Arctic sovereignty debate. Speakers will focus not only on the territorial and security claims that the debate raises, but will also explore how issues of Arctic sovereignty relate to the environment and international environmental law, as well as indigenous and human rights. The symposium is expected to be the first, comprehensive U.S. law school conference focused on Arctic sovereignty.

Ruiz Fabri & Sorel: La motivation des décisions des juridictions internationales

Hélène Ruiz Fabri (l'Université de Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne - Law) & Jean-Marc Sorel (l'Université de Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne - Law) have published La motivation des décisions des juridictions internationales (Pedone 2008). Here's the abstract:

Poursuivant la démarche comparative pour la sixième Journée d'études sur le contentieux international, l'UMR de Droit comparé et le CERDIN de l'Université de Paris 1 ont choisi d'explorer la question de la Motivation des décisions des juridictions internationales. Après les thèmes de l'Urgence, du Principe du contradictoire, du Tiers à l'instance, de la Saisine des juridictions et de la Preuve, il était nécessaire de se pencher sur la question de la motivation des décisions au coeur du processus de fabrication de la solution par le juge. Une fois de plus, il s'agissait de porter un regard croisé sur les interactions et chevauchements entre les méthodes des juridictions dans les différents espaces normatifs du droit international, mais aussi du droit interne.

La question de la motivation des décisions des juridictions peut effrayer tant son spectre semble large et échapper en partie à toute analyse transversale. Certes, la diversité est comme toujours au rendez-vous, ne serait-ce que parce que les justiciables n'ont pas les mêmes attentes, mais, au-delà de la diversité, des préoccupations se rejoignent et des questions comparables émergent. L'analyse comparative démontre ainsi une nouvelle fois sa richesse, aussi bien pratique que théorique, et les précieux enseignements qu'il est possible d'en retirer.

Higgins: Speech to the International Law Commission

On July 22nd, Judge Rosalyn Higgins delivered the ICJ President's traditional address (here) to the International Law Commission.

New Volume: Anuario Mexicano de Derecho Internacional

The latest volume of the Anuario Mexicano de Derecho Internacional (Vol. 8, 2008) it out. Contents include:

• Horacio Andaluz, El derecho internacional en el sistema de fuentes. Propuesta de artículos para la nueva Constitución de Bolivia
• Helmut Philipp Aust, Between Self-Assertion and Deference: European Courts and their Assessment of UN Security Council Resolutions
• David Enríquez, Uncitral y las oscilaciones del régimen jurídico del transporte marítimo internacional de mercancías. Advertencias en torno a la búsqueda de una tercera vía
• Virginia Gallo Cobián, Ximena Gauché Marchetti, & María José Huerta Jiménez, Las sanciones del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas y los derechos humanos. Relaciones peligrosas
• Sergio García Ramírez, Cuestiones de la jurisdicción interamericana de derechos humanos
• Yanitza Giraldo Restrepo, Violación del derecho internacional humanitario por parte del Estado colombiano
• Julio Jorge Urbina, Crímenes de guerra, justicia universal e inmunidades jurisdiccionales penales de los órganos del Estado
• Rodrigo Labardini, Contexto internacional de la prisión vitalicia
• Victor Navarrete, Judicial Globalisation. A New Model of North-South Relations for the 21st Century?
• Eva María Rubio Fernández, La otra cara de la reforma del Consejo de Seguridad. Sus métodos de trabajo
• Juan Carlos Velázquez Elizarrarás, El derecho internacional ante los desafíos del genoma humano y la bioética, en el marco de la organización y las declaraciones internacionales. Su proyección al derecho mexicano

ICJ: Nominations of Candidates for Election to the Court

On February 5, 2009, the terms of five judges on the International Court of Justice will expire. Earlier this year, the U.N. Legal Counsel, on behalf of the Secretary-General, requested nominations to fill those seats in accordance with the provisions of the ICJ Statute. Nine individuals were nominated (list of candidates here; Secretary-General's memorandum here). They include: Ronny Abraham (France), Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Jordan), Sayeman Bula-Bula (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade (Brazil), Miriam Defensor-Santiago (Philippines), Christopher Greenwood (United Kingdom), Maurice Kamto (Cameroon), Rafeal Nieto-Navia (Colombia), and Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia). Only Judges Abraham and Al-Khasawneh are seeking re-election. The other judges whose terms are expiring - Judges Rosalyn Higgins, Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren, and Raymond Ranjeva - are stepping aside.

Seats on the ICJ are rigidly, albeit informally, allocated in two ways. First, each of the five permanent members of the Security Council has (unofficially) a permanent seat. Second, the remaining ten seats of the fifteen-member body are (also unofficially) allocated by region. Thus, though nine individuals were nominated for five seats, in fact, once the unofficial rules kick in, only certain seats are really up for grabs. This year, two seats for permanent members of the Council and three regional seats (one for Africa, one for Asia, and one for Latin America) are up for election. Assuming these distributions don't change, it's clear that Abraham and Greenwood (who are running "unopposed") will be elected. For the remaining three seats, there are multiple nominations. Cançado Trindade and Nieto-Navia will compete for the Latin American seat being vacated by Judge Parra-Aranguren; Bula-Bula, Kamto, and Yusuf will compete for the African seat currently held by Judge Ranjeva; and Defensor-Santiago and Al-Khasawneh will contest the Asian seat currently held by the latter. I anticipate that Al-Khasawneh, Cançado Trindade, and Kamto will be chosen, but we'll see.

New Issue: International Legal Materials

The latest issue of International Legal Materials (Vol. 47, no. 4, July 2008) is out. Contents include:

• Kosovo Declaration of Independence, with introductory note by Christopher Borden
• World Trade Organization Report of the Appellate Body: United States - Final Anti-Dumping Measures in Stainless Steel from Mexico, with introductory note by Charles Owen Verrill
• European Court of Human Rights Advisory Opinion on Certain Legal Questions Concerning Lists of Candidates Submitted with a View to the Election of Judges, with introductory note by Akua Gyekye
• European Court of Human Rights: Saadi v. Italy, with introductory note by Ashley Deeks
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: Choe v. Torres, with introductory note by Bruce Zagaris
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Human Rights Committee Concluding Observations and Responses of the U.S. Government, with introductory note by Christina Cerna
• House of Lords (on the Application of Al-Jedda) (FC) v. Secretary of State for the Defence, with introductory note by Stephanie Farrior