This joint meeting will bring together distinguished international law scholars from the Egyptian Society of International Law, the American Society of International Law, and local and regional law faculties. In the spirit of outreach and institutionbuilding, the purpose of the joint meeting is to build a dialogue at the broadest level and also with respect to pressing current issues and controversies, probing the normative commitments and structural features of contemporary international law.
Our questions include: What methodologies and frameworks are most useful in analyzing contemporary international governance? How might our assessments vary as a result of social or geographical location? What emerging terrains are created by current international dispute settlement processes – criminal tribunals, commercial arbitration, multilateral trade panels, domestic causes of action seeking remedies for international legal harms? What patterns or contrasts, harmonizations or fragmentations, exist across tribunals and regimes?
Proceedings:
Following a Gala Dinner and Keynote Address on Sunday, June 20, four plenary sessions will each address a broad area within international law, and will ask the distinguished members of the two societies to present their views and perspectives. In each session there will be ample time for questions and discussion following the presentations, followed by a concluding session devoted to the presentation of synthesis of the proceedings and a discussion of possible future initiatives.
I. General International Law: What is the state of public international law in the 21st century? What role do international institutions play in shaping general international law? What primary or systemic challenges face international law? How can international law address contemporary problems of global justice?
II. International Law and Human Rights: How effective is the United Nations in promoting and enforcing human rights? What role do other treaty bodies – from the World Bank to the World Trade Organization to the International Labor Organization ‐ play in shaping human rights normatively and in practice? What is the status of human rights in national legal systems in the Middle East? What implications are posed by regional systems such as the Arab League and the African Court and African Commission?
III. International Criminal Law and Transitional Justice: What lessons might be learned for international criminal law from the experiences to date of regional tribunals such as those for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone? Does the International Criminal Court face serious challenges to its legitimacy, and if so how might it increase its authoritativeness?
IV. International Economic Law: The expansion of agreements for international economic cooperation is a defining feature of the era. How should systems of economic dispute settlement be understood? For example, with respect to bilateral investment treaties, what jurisdictional norms are emerging for ICSID and counterpart tribunals? In the area of trade law, what is the relationship between the multilateral trade regime and regional trade arrangements, generally and in the region? What about “capacity‐building”
Schedule:
Sunday, June 20, 2010
2:00 Tour of Alexandria (Optional)
7:00 Reception & Formal Welcome
8:00 Gala Dinner & Keynote Address
Monday, June 21, 2010
9:00‐ 10:30 Plenary I: General International Law
10:45‐12:00 Plenary II: International Law and Human Rights
12:15‐1:45 Lunch
2:00‐3:30 Plenary III: International Criminal Law & Transitional Justice
3:45‐5:15 Plenary IV: International Economic Law
5:30‐6:30 Closing Remarks, Conclusions Presented, Future Initiatives
Please submit a proposal, no more than 250 words, by March 15, 2010, to: Chantal Thomas, Chair, ASIL Africa Interest Group, at ct343@cornell.edu.
Travel: Participants will receive a discounted rate for registration at the Four Seasons Alexandria.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Call for Papers: Are There Regional Approaches to International Law and Institutions?
A call for papers has been issued for a joint meeting of the American Society of International Law and the Egyptian Society of International Law, June 20-21, 2010, in Alexandria, Egypt. The theme is: "Are There Regional Approaches to International Law and Institutions?" Here's the call:
