Call for Papers: Foundations and Futures of International Law

The British Branch of the International Law Association has issued a call for papers for its annual spring conference, which will take place at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London, on May 23-24, 2014. The theme is "Foundations and Futures of International Law." Here's the call:

2014 ILA British Branch Spring Conference

23 - 24 May 2014 - King's College London, Dickson Poon School of Law

Foundations and Futures of International Law

The time is ripe both to revisit the foundations of international law and to imagine its possible futures. Once the preserve of a small community of specialised academics and practitioners, international law increasingly plays an important role in cases decided by national courts; it is at the centre of renewed interest by political and legal theorists; and in many countries (Britain among them) it even shapes public argument on foreign policy, national security and the resort to armed force. Amidst these developments one finds different methodological approaches seeking to explain the role of international law, as well as different instrumental camps using international law to advocate particular priorities.

The organisers of this year’s Spring Conference of the British Branch of the ILA are particularly interested in contributions that shed new light on the following foundational questions: the relationship between international, regional and domestic legal orders; the identification and development of customary international law; and the regulation of armed conflict. Re-examining foundations in the light of new information and modes of thinking leads naturally to the imagination of possible futures. In this respect we are also seeking papers that explore the relevance of new theoretical paradigms (for example, the idea of transnational law) or analyse issues of concern to present and future generations, such as combatting climate change, preventing human trafficking, managing financial risk, encouraging businesses to respect human rights and promoting socially responsible investment.

This conference will combine pace-setting panels with keynote speeches that will present a striking vision of lawmaking in the future.

The organisers also welcome the submission of unsolicited proposals. These should be one page long and sent to ilaconf@kcl.ac.uk by 30 January 2014.