Bohrer, Dill, & Duffy: Law Applicable to Armed Conflict

Ziv Bohrer (Bar-Ilan Univ.), Janina Dill (Univ. of Oxford), & Helen Duffy (Universiteit Leiden) have published Law Applicable to Armed Conflict (Cambridge Univ. Press 2020). Here's the abstract:

Which law applies to armed conflict? This book investigates the applicability of international humanitarian law and international human rights law to armed conflict situations. The issue is examined by three scholars whose professional, theoretical, and methodological backgrounds and outlooks differ greatly. These multiple perspectives expose the political factors and intellectual styles that influence scholarly approaches and legal answers, and the unique trialogical format encourages its participants to decenter their perspectives. By focussing on the authors' divergence and disagreement, a richer understanding of the law applicable to armed conflict is achieved. The book, firstly, provides a detailed study of the law applicable to armed conflict situations. Secondly, it explores the regimes' interrelation and the legal techniques for their coordination and prevention of potential norm conflicts. Thirdly, the book moves beyond the positive analysis of the law and probes the normative principles that guide the interpretation, application and development of law.

Call for Papers: A Code/Charter of Best Practice in International Legal Education?

The Working Group on International Students and Law Schools has issued a call for papers for a conference on "A Code/Charter of Best Practice in International Legal Education? Is it possible? Is it desirable? What would even be included?," to be held at Faculty of Law, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, on June 25-26, 2020. The call is here.

Call for Papers: Power and the Development of International Law: Asian Perspectives

The Asian Society of International Law has issued a call for papers for a junior scholars' conference on "Power and the Development of International Law: Asian Perspectives," to take place June 6, 2020, in Kathmandu. The call is here.

New Issue: Diritti umani e diritto internazionale

The latest issue of Diritti umani e diritto internazionale (Vol. 13, no. 3, 2019) is out. Contents include:

• Studi
• Monica Lugato, Le ‘condizioni minime del vivere insieme’ nelle limitazioni del diritto di manifestare la propria religione
• Diego Mauri, Il ‘mito’ del giudicato civile e amministrativo alla prova degli obblighi internazionali di restitutio in integrum
• Luca Pasquet, Riconoscimento dell’identità di genere: i silenzi della Corte di Strasburgo e la rivolta dei giudici conservatori
• The Duty of Care of International Organizations in the Aftermath of A v. ICC: Where Are We Heading To?
• Francesca Capone, The Quest for Remedies (for Duty of Care Violations) Before International Administrative Tribunals
• Andrea Spagnolo, The Boundaries of the Duty of Care of International Organizations Towards Their Civilian Personnel Deployed Abroad: Insights from the Recent ILOAT Case-law
• Interventi
• Alessandra Arcuri, Federica Violi, Human Rights and Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Changing (Almost) Everything, so that Everything Stays the Same Claudio Di Turi, La crisi dell’Organizzazione mondiale del commercio e i negoziati sull’agricoltura: quali prospettive per la sicurezza alimentare dei Paesi in via di sviluppo?
• Riccardo Luporini, Liability for Crimes Against Humanity in the Offshore Detention of Asylum Seekers: Some Thoughts Regarding the So-called ‘Australian Model’ of Refugee Policy
• Osservatorio
• Rachele Marconi, La violenza sessuale contro le donne di tortura nella giurisprudenza della Corte interamericana dei diritti umani
• Francesco Viggiani, Viola n. 2: la mancata collaborazione quale automatismo legislativo, lesivo della dignità dell’‘ergastolano ostativo’
• Andrea Caligiuri, Genocidio coloniale e responsabilità dello Stato
• Maura Marchegiani, Clausole di esclusione del riconoscimento dello status di rifugiato, principio di non refoulement ed incidenza delle pronunce di un tribunale penale internazionale in una recente sentenza del Consiglio di Stato francese

New Volume: Spanish Yearbook of International Law

The latest volume of the Spanish Yearbook of International Law (Vol. 23, 2019) is out. Contents include:

• The Classics’ Corner
• Gil Carlos Rodríguez Iglesias, The Relationship Between Legal Systems
• General Articles
• Esperanza Orihuela Calatayud, When Are There Substantial Reasons to Believe That an Investigation of Core Crimes Would Not Serve the Interests of Justice?
• Karel Wellens, Some Reflections on Good Faith During Negotiations in Recent ICJ Cases
• Alberto D. Arrufat Cardava, The Protection of Migrant Children in The European Union: A Reading in the Light of the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment (Nos. 22 and 23) on the Rights of the Children in The Context of The International Migration
• A discussion on international human rights bodies’ decisions and Spain
• Carolina Jiménez Sánchez, Human Rights Committees: Their Nature and Legal Relevance In Spain
• Eduardo Jiménez Pineda, A Commentary On The Supreme Court’s Judgment Of 17 July 2018 (Sts 1263/2018) And Its Supposed Impact For A Legally Binding Value Of The Decisions Adopted By The Committee On The Elimination Of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• Jorge Cardona Llorens, The Legal Value Of The Views And Interim Measures Adopted By United Nations Treaty Bodies (A Response To The Opinions Of E. Jimenez Pineda, C. Jiménez Sánchez and B. Vázquez Rodríguez)
• Agora: Asylum Policies in the European Union: Convergences Between the Internal and External Dimensions
• Joana Abrisketa Uriarte, Asylum Policies In The European Union: Convergences Between The Internal And External Dimensions: An Introduction
• Cristina Churruca Muguruza, Shrinking Protection Space Through Gatekeeping And Fencing Strategies: The Impact Of Eu´S Migration Control On The Protection Of Asylum Seekers And Forced Migrants At Eu’s External Borders
• Elspeth Guild, Seeking Coherence Among Member States: The Common European Asylum System
• Paula García Andrade, The EU Accession To The Geneva Convention Relating To The Status Of Refugees: Legal Feasibility And Added Value
• Carmen Pérez González, The Contribution Of The EU To The Implementation Of The Global Compacts: Legal Certainty For People On The Move As A Global Public Good
• Laura Gómez Urquijo, Harmonizing The Socioeconomic Integration Conditions For Asylum Seekers Through Eu Multilevel Financial Coordination
• María Nagore Casas, ‘Impact On Rights’ As A Form Of Extraterritorial Jurisdiction: A New Legal Restriction On Border Controls Through International Cooperation
• Javier A. González Vega, In The Name Of Solidarity And Human Values: Rescue Operations At High Seas By Ngos Vs. The International Legal Order
• Joana Abrisketa Uriarte, The Reform Of The Dublin III Regulation: How To Build Or Not To Build Further Enforcing Mechanisms
• Silvia Morgades Gil, Humanitarian Visas And Discretionary Choices in the EU: Policies On Visas And On International Protection
• David Fernández Rojo, Transforming The European Asylum Support Office Into The European Union Agency For Asylum
• Lorena M. Calvo Mariscal, Cooperation Between The European Union And Libya As Regards To Migration And Asylum: The Eventual Creation Of Disembarkation Platforms
• Tasawar Ashraf, Umut Korkut & Daniel Gyollai, The Expansion Of State Authority Over The Neighbouring States Through Informal Migration Controls: The Case Of Hungary’s Control Over Serbia
• Forum: Material and Immaterial Walls in Contemporary International Law:consequences on human rights, fundamental freedoms, security and the environment
• Ana Salinas de Frías & Enrique J. Martínez Pérez, An Introduction To The Forum
• Ana Salinas De Frías, Security And Border Walls/Fences In Contemporary Intenational Law
• Ángel Sánchez Legido, The Walls Of Fortress Europe: Externalisation Of Migration Control And The Rule Of Law
• Juan Soroeta Liceras, Legal Consequences Of The Construction Of A Wall In The Occupied Sahrawi Territory
• Enrique J. Martínez Pérez, Relevant International Legal Obligations Due To The Environmental Impact Of The Construction Of Walls And Reinforced Fences
• Daniel Rey Moral, The Influence Of The Decisions Of The European Court Of Human Rights On EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia
• Ignacio Álvarez Arcá, Challenges For Biodiversity Protection Stemming From Border Walls In Slovenia And Korea
• Ana Gascón Marcén, The Extraterritorial Application Of European Union Data Protection Law
• Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pipan, The Interoperability Of Eu Information Systems And Fundamental Rights Concerns
• Pau De Vílchez Moragues, Climate Change As A Disrupter Of The Notion Of Border In International Law

Heller, Mégret, Nouwen, Ohlin, & Robinson: The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal Law

Kevin Jon Heller (Univ. of Amsterdam - Law), Frédéric Mégret (McGill Univ. - Law), Sarah MH Nouwen, (Univ. of Cambridge - Law), Jens David Ohlin, (Cornell Univ. - Law), & Darryl Robinson (Queen's Univ., Canada - Law) have published The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal Law (Oxford Univ. Press 2020). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

In the past twenty years, international criminal law has become one of the main areas of international legal scholarship and practice. Most textbooks in the field describe the evolution of international criminal tribunals, the elements of the core international crimes, the applicable modes of liability and defences, and the role of states in prosecuting international crimes.

The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal Law, however, takes a theoretically informed and refreshingly critical look at the most controversial issues in international criminal law, challenging prevailing practices, orthodoxies, and received wisdoms. Some of the contributions to the Handbook come from scholars within the field, but many come from outside of international criminal law, or indeed from outside law itself. The chapters are grounded in history, geography, philosophy, and international relations. The result is a Handbook that expands the discipline and should fundamentally alter how international criminal law is understood.

Conference: Women’s Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century: Developments and Challenges under International and European Law

On February 14, 2020, the European Court of Human Rights, in cooperation with Foundation René Cassin-International Institute of Human Rights and with the support of the General Consulate of Japan in Strasbourg, will hold a conference on "Women’s Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century: Developments and Challenges under International and European Law" in Strasbourg. The deadline for the public registration is February 7. See registration details below. The program is here. Here's the idea:

Women have been historically discriminated in society. Based on assumptions about the “natural” gender roles in society, women have been denied important rights from the suffrage, the right to sign contracts or perform work outside the home to custody rights. Over the last century, important developments have taken place. The conceptualization of women’s rights as human rights and their incorporation into international law played an important role in this. Women’s equality became the subject of international documents such as the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the 1995 The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women or more recently the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. In addition, supranational courts such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court or the Court of Justice of the European Union have responded to women’s demands by an increasingly gender-sensitive reading of different international and regional legal norms. Notwithstanding, women’s full equality has not yet been achieved. Women everywhere are still subject to different forms of violence in war and in times of peace, in the public and the private spheres, they earn less and are facing higher poverty rates than men, are under-represented in positions of power in fields like politics, on the boards of companies and on the benches of the highest national and international courts and face other gender-specific forms of discrimination such as poor access to justice and to sexual, reproductive and maternal care.

This conference aims to discuss a few aspects of the state of women’s human rights and the challenges to achieving gender equality in the twenty-first century. It will do so by looking at developments in the field of gender equality under International and European Law and before regional courts, particularly the European Court of Human Rights.

The conference hopes to provide a forum of reflection on gender equality for members of the judiciary, legal practitioners, academics, representatives of European institutions and non-governmental organizations, as well as other professionals.

The event is open to the public. Should you be interested to register or have any questions, please contact: iidh-intern@iidh.org until 7 February 2020 and please bring your ID in the day of the conference. If you have a Council of Europe badge, please register before 12 February. Members of the Council of Europe who did not register are welcome to attend should there be any available places in the room.

Cohen & Meyer: International Law as Behavior: An Agenda

Harlan Grant Cohen (Univ. of Georgia - Law) & Timothy Meyer (Vanderbilt Univ. - Law) have posted International Law as Behavior: An Agenda (in International Law as Behavior, Harlan Grant Cohen & Timothy Meyer eds., forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

Over the past few decades, scholars in a variety of fields – economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and international relations, among others – have made enormous strides studying the behavioral roots of international law by exploring individual motivations, describing organizational cultures, and mapping communities of practice. Taken together, the work of these scholars presents a complex, nuanced understanding of how international law works. However, these projects are rarely considered together: often separated by academic enclosures and focused on different subfields within international law, communication among scholars using different methodologies is restricted. The goal of this book is to break down some of these barriers and provide a glimpse of what an international law more focused on behavior and more engaged with these other fields might look like.

This introductory chapter aims to provide a roadmap in this effort by describing international law's long interest in behavior and the past attempts to explore that relationship, exploring the book's approach and laying out the contributions in each chapter, and beginning the process of bringing these insights together and outlining a series of takeaways for future study of international law as behavior.

Sadat, SáCouto, & Sellers: Collective Criminality and Sexual Violence: Fixing a Failed Approach

Leila N. Sadat (Washington Univ. in St. Louis - Law), Susana SáCouto (American Univ. - Law), & Patricia Viseur Sellers have posted Collective Criminality and Sexual Violence: Fixing a Failed Approach (Leiden Journal of International Law, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

International criminal tribunals have developed a number of legal theories designed to hold individuals responsible for their role in collective criminal conduct. These doctrines of criminal participation, known as modes of liability, are the subject of significant scholarly commentary. Yet missing from much of this debate, particularly as regards the International Criminal Court, has been an analysis of how current doctrine on modes of liability responds to the need to hold collective perpetrators criminally responsible for crimes of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Indeed, many writings in this area of the law address perceived shortcomings in the theoretical underpinnings of modes of liability doctrine in the abstract but ignore the application of this doctrine in concreto. As a result, facially neutral writings on modes of liability may in fact be gendered in application, either because they fail to account for the specific characteristics of sexual and gender-based violence or because they are applied in a manner that requires higher thresholds for finding culpability for the commission of SGBV crimes. This article fills the gap between theory and practice, examining past and present doctrine, and suggesting ways in which the treatment of modes of liability by international criminal courts and tribunals can both properly respond to the need for personal culpability and the dangers of collective criminal activity, particularly as regards SGBV crimes.

New Issue: Revue belge de droit international

The latest issue of the Revue belge de droit international (2018, no. 2) is out. Contents include:

• Special Issue: Arctic and antarctic regions: new challenges for ocean governance
• E. Franckx & P. Gautier, Introduction to the special issue on “Arctic and antarctic regions: new challenges for ocean governance”
• W. Roelants De Stappers, Arctic and antarctic regions: new challenges for ocean governance - Welcoming words
• M. Hasebe, New developments and challenges in Arctic navigation and the Polar Code
• K. Zou, Implementing the Polar Code in the Antarctic waters: progress, problems, and prospects
• A. Chircop, Canada and the Polar Code: balancing unilateralism and multilateralism in the regulation of arctic shipping
• Y. Bobrova, A. Kapustin, & V. Vasilyev, The Northern Sea Route: national legal regime and the Polar Code
• P. Gautier, New developments with respect to fisheries in the Antarctic
• E. Franckx, New developments with respect to fisheries in the Arctic
• Villamizar Lamu, Piracy and whaling in Antarctica p. 483 F. H. Martinsen, Some remarks on the application of “Antarctic International Law” to tourist and non-governmental activities in Antarctica
• F. Borgia, Sustainable tourism development in Arctic region: a risky game
• É. David, The law applicable to the Princess Elisabeth Station
• A. De Vaucleroy, The exercise of jurisdiction in Antarctica: a comparative analysis from the perspective of Belgium, France and The United Kingdom
• Y. Van Der Mensbrugghe, Arctic and Antarctic regions: new challenges for ocean governance - Conclusions
• M. Lismonde, Étude critique du manuel de Tallinn sur la participation directe aux hostilités : du partage d’informations militaires sur les réseaux sociaux
• F. Laurent & J. Braun, La lutte contre le terrorisme par la censure des « contenus à caractère terroriste » : une ingérence justifiée au droit à la liberté d’expression ?

Tamayo-Álvarez: The Strategic Use of International Investment Law in Colombia – Textiles: Navigating within the International Regime Complex for Development

Rafael Tamayo-Álvarez has published The Strategic Use of International Investment Law in Colombia – Textiles: Navigating within the International Regime Complex for Development (Law and Development Review, Vol. 13, no. 1, January 2020). Here's the abstract:

Trade-based money laundering (TBML) is a major concern in Colombia, where criminal organisations employ under-invoicing to conceal drug-trafficking proceeds. In response, Colombia imposed a compound tariff on certain Panamanian importations that were considered linked to this phenomenon. Alleging that the policy measure infringed Colombia’s tariff concessions, Panama activated the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism. The dispute revolved around Article II:1 of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade 1994. Colombia argued that this norm should be interpreted as to encompass licit trade only. Colombia looked for normative support in the investment treaty regime by establishing a parallel between undervalued imports and illegal investments. Therefore, just as investment treaty tribunals abstain from extending international legal protection to illegal investments, the WTO adjudicating bodies should not extend tariff concessions to importations linked to TBML activities. This article contends that by transplanting a more favourable doctrine of legality from the investment treaty regime to the multilateral trade regime, Colombia engaged in strategic regime shifting. Accordingly, drawing on regime complexes analysis, the article argues that by considering development a common issue-area, it is possible to articulate strategic connections between both regimes.

Kulick: Let’s (Not) (Dis)Agree to Disagree!? Some Thoughts on the ‘Dispute’ Requirement in International Adjudication

Andreas Kulick (Universität Tübingen - Law) has posted Let’s (Not) (Dis)Agree to Disagree!? Some Thoughts on the ‘Dispute’ Requirement in International Adjudication. Here's the abstract:

International courts and tribunals only enjoy jurisdiction to settle a ‘dispute’. ‘Dispute’ requires disagreement. However, what if the parties disagree over whether there actually exists such disagreement? What if, before the International Court of Justice, the respondent argues that there is no ‘dispute’ because it declined to react to the applicant’s contentions? In other words, can a disputing party avoid a dispute by playing dead? On the other hand, where to draw the line in order to prevent the applicant from seizing an international court or tribunal where there is in fact no real disagreement among the parties? This article critically assesses the Court’s case law on the ‘dispute’ requirement and argues for a fragmented approach to ‘dispute’ in international adjudication that carefully defines this jurisdictional requirement along the lines of the judicial function of the respective international judicial dispute settlement forum.

Workshop: Investment Protection, Human Rights, and International Arbitration

The 2020 edition of the Frankfurt Investment Law Workshop will take place on March 6-7 at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. The topic is: "Investment Protection, Human Rights, and International Arbitration." The program is here. The workshop is open to academics, practitioners, and students of investment law and related disciplines. Attendance is free, but subject to registration. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sabine Schimpf by February 21, 2020.

Call for Papers: Child in Migration: Status and Identity

A call for papers has been issued for a conference on “Child in Migration: Status and Identity,” to be held May 28-30, 2020, in Zielona Góra, Poland. According to the organizers, the conference "is devoted to the legal status of migrant children. The conference will provide a forum to address and discuss a number of challenging questions related to this issue, from the perspective of both public and private international law. We are especially interested in the legal obligations arising from the irregular situation of children lacking proper documentation, citizenship and registration." For more information, consult the conference website.

New Issue: Global Trade and Customs Journal

The latest issue of Global Trade and Customs Journal (Vol. 15, no. 1, 2020) is out. Contents include:

• Kirsti McKenzie, Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association
• Iulianna Romanchyshyna, Mutual Recognition as a Method to Deal with Regulatory Divergence: What Is Its Reach in EU FTAs?
• Anna Dias, Stéphanie Seeuws, & Agnieszka Nosowicz, EU Border Carbon Adjustment and the WTO: Hand in Hand Towards Tackling Climate Change
• Courtney Furner, Nadine Lederer, & Claire Sergaki, The WTO’s Exclusive and Compulsory Jurisdiction v.Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Regional Trade Agreements: A Clash of Jurisdiction?
• Daniela Menon Rodrigues, Brazilian Path to Trade Facilitation
• Anzhela Makhinova, How to Suspend Trade Defence Remedies Applied in the Eurasian Economic Union: Recent Trends
• Sonia Gupta, The Arbitrary Rejection of the Declared Value by the Customs Administration

Call for Submissions: The Ethiopian Yearbook of International Law

The Ethiopian Yearbook of International Law has issued a call for submissions for its fifth volume. Here's the call:

The Ethiopian Yearbook of International Law (EtYIL) is a peer-reviewed academic book series that focuses on international, regional comparative legal and policy matters that most concern developing countries more generally and Ethiopia and (the Horn of) Africa specifically. The Yearbook is now a well-established and respected source of legal and policy scholarship. It has recently been independently evaluated and included in Scopus. We are pleased to invite interested scholars to consider submitting long or short articles, current development pieces, case reports and book reviews for consideration for the FIFTH (2020) volume of the Yearbook (submission guidelines and other details available here). Submission deadline for this volume is 30 November 2020. We would like to hear your potential ideas and topics at ethiopianyearbook@gmail.com.

Rudall: Compensation for Environmental Damage Under International Law

Jason Rudall (Leiden Univ. - Law) has published Compensation for Environmental Damage Under International Law (Routledge 2020). Here's the abstract:

Inspired by recent litigation, this book identifies and critically appraises the manifold and varied approaches to calculating compensation for damage caused to the environment. It examines a wide range of practice on compensation – in general and specifically for environmental damage – from that of international courts and tribunals, as well as international commissions and regimes, to municipal approaches and other disciplines such as economics and philosophy. Compensation for Environmental Damage Under International Law synthesises these approaches with a view to identifying their blind spots, bringing clarity to an area where there exists broad discrepancy, and charting best practices that appropriately balance the manifold interests at stake. In particular, it is argued that best practice methodologies should ensure compensation serves to fully repair the environment, reflect the emerging ecosystems approach and any implications environmental damage may have for climate change, as well as take into account relevant equitable considerations.