New Issue: Journal of World Trade

The latest issue of the Journal of World Trade (Vol. 55, no. 3, 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Brad Mcdonald, WTO Dispute Settlement and Rule-Making: One Crisis or Two?
• Simon J. Evenett, Export Controls on COVID-19 Vaccines: Has the EU Opened Pandora’s Box?
• Raj Bhala & Eric Witmer, Pragmatic Literary Theories and WTO Treaty Interpretation
• Jia Xu, One Step Forward and Two Steps Back? Evolution of Bilateral Safeguard Provisions in Preferential Trade Agreements
• Kristine Plouffe-Malette, Public Morality Exception at the WTO: Much Ado About Nothing?
• Berna Akcali Gur, Restrictions on Trade in Telecommunications: WTO’s Cybersecurity Conundrum
• Asif H. Qureshi, United States Special 301 – A Deeply Flawed Tool for IPR Regulation?

Mayer: Temperature Targets and State Obligations on the Mitigation of Climate Change

Benoit Mayer (City Univ. of Hong Kong - Law) has published Temperature Targets and State Obligations on the Mitigation of Climate Change (Journal of Environmental Law, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

The Supreme Court of the Netherlands in Urgenda held that States had a customary obligation to implement their ‘fair share’ in achieving the 2°C temperature limitation target they had agreed upon. Yet, this article argues, the notion that States must adopt or implement mitigation action in line with temperature targets finds no support in treaty or customary law. States’ acceptance of temperature targets as a collective objective is relevant to interpreting the standard of due diligence applicable to mitigation obligations only inasmuch as this objective is actually reflected in consistent State practice. At present, temperature targets represent essentially an agreement on a direction of travel: the need for more mitigation action. Over time, the acceptance of this objective could facilitate further legal developments as States agree on particular implications of temperature targets and on a requirement that each of them acts consistently with its interpretation of these targets.

Call for Papers: Asian Law Works-In-Progress Session (Reminder)

The Section on East Asian Law and Society of the American Association of Law Schools, the Asia-Pacific Interest Group of the American Society of International Law, and the Asia Committee of the American Society of Comparative Law have issued a call for papers for a virtual works-in-progress, to be held on Monday, July 19, 2021. The call is here. The deadline is Monday, June 14.

New Issue: Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Institutions

The latest issue of Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Institutions (Vol. 27, no. 2, April-June 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Manuel Fröhlich, World Organization Epitomized: The Life and Legacy of Sir Brian Urquhart
• Cecilia Jacob, Institutionalizing Prevention at the UN: International Organization Reform as a Site of Norm Contestation
• Emizet F. Kisangani & David F. Mitchell, The Impact of Integrated UN Missions on Humanitarian NGO Security: A Quantitative Analysis
• Kseniya Oksamytna & Magnus Lundgren, Decorating the “Christmas Tree”: The UN Security Council and the Secretariat’s Recommendations on Peacekeeping Mandates
• Megan Bradley, Joining the UN Family? Explaining the Evolution of IOM-UN Relations
• Marco Bocchese, In the Eye of the Beholder: Elite Assessments of the ICC’s Performance
• Hortense Jongen & Jan Aart Scholte, Legitimacy in Multistakeholder Global Governance at ICANN

Peters: Animals in International Law

Anne Peters (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law) has published Animals in International Law (Brill | Nijhoff 2021). Here's the abstract:

The plight of animal individuals and species inflicted on them by human activity is a global problem with detrimental repercussions for all humans and for the entire planet. This book gives an overview of the most important international legal regimes that directly address and indirectly affect animals. It covers species conservation treaties, notably the international whaling regime, the farm animal protection rules of the EU, international trade law and the international law of armed conflict. It also analyses the potential for an international regime of animal rights. Finding that international law creates more harm than good for animals, the auther suggests progressive treaty interpretation, treaty making and animal interest representation to close the animal welfare gap in international law. A body of global animal law needs to be developed, accompanied by critical global animal studies.

Book Discussion: The Interplay between the EU's Return Acquis and International Law

On June 16, 2021, the International Law and Affairs Group and the Institute for the Study of European Law at City, University of London will host a book discussion of The Interplay between the EU's Return Acquis and International Law by Tamás Molnár. Details are here.

Online Roundtable: History and International Criminal Justice

On June 23, 2021, the ESIL Interest Groups on International Criminal Justice and the History of International Law will host an online roundtable on "History and International Criminal Justice." Details are here.

Lewis: Legal Fictions in International Law

Reece Lewis (Cardiff Univ. - Law) has published Legal Fictions in International Law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2021). Here's the abstract:

This innovative book extensively probes and reveals the existence of legal fictions in international law, developing a theory of their effectiveness and legitimacy. Reece Lewis argues that, since legal fictions exist in all systems and types of law, international law is no different and deserves discrete, detailed examination. The book considers the implications of the phenomenon, showing that while some international legal fictions are problematic, others can assist the application of international law through maintaining a coherent, stable and peaceful international legal order. The author identifies and critically analyses a host of international legal fictions and explores, in detail, the factors that determine their effectiveness. Chapters answer key questions such as: what is a legal fiction?, How do they exist in international law?, Should international law use legal fictions? and many more.

Lecture: Wennerström on "ECHR Protocol 15 – Brighton Revisited"

On June 14, 2021, Erik Wennerström (Judge, European Court of Human Rights) will deliver a lecture on "ECHR Protocol 15 – Brighton Revisited" as part of the Essex Public International Law Lecture Series. Details are here.

New Issue: Harvard International Law Journal

The latest issue of the Harvard International Law Journal (Vol. 62, no. 1, Winter 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Special Tribute to William P. Alford
• Martha Minow, A Scholar and Administrator Attuned: Saluting William P. Alford
• Xingzhong Yu, Virtue and Knowledge across Space and Time: A Tribute to Professor William P. Alford
• Benjamin L. Liebman, William P. Alford: Kindness, Integrity, and Insight
• Chang-fa Lo, Passion and Compassion Being the Key Characteristics of a Successful Legal Educator: Professor William P. Alford Is Hao Laoshi with Such Characteristics
• Ruth L. Okediji, Culture and the Globalization of Knowledge Production: A Tribute to William P. Alford
• Seung Wha Chang, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in Harvard Law Station
• Jerome A. Cohen, Putting Lawyers (of All Types) High on Professor William P. Alford's Future Agenda
• Angela Ciccolo & Tim Shriver, William P. Alford: A Legacy of Inclusion
• Michael A. Stein, Scholar, Mensch, and Disability Rights Champion: A Tribute to Professor William P. Alford
• Mark Wu, Wise Lessons in Virtue: A Tribute to Professor William P. Alford
• Matthew S. Erie, Chinese Law and Development
• Rebecca J. Hamilton, Governing the Global Public Square
• Stephen Kim Park & Tim R. Samples, Distrust, Disorder, and the New Governance of Sovereign Debt
• Alyssa S. King, Global Civil Procedure

New Issue: Michigan Journal of International Law

The latest issue of the Michigan Journal of International Law (Vol. 42, no. 2, 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Jonathan Bonnitcha & Emma Aisbett, Against Balancing: Revisiting the Use/Regulation Distinction To Reform Liability and Compensation Under Investment Treaties
• Yong-Shik Lee, Natsu Taylor Saito, & Jonathan Todres, The Fallacy of Contract in Sexual Slavery: A Response to Ramseyer's "Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War"
• Valentina Vadi, Crisis, Continuity, and Change in International Investment Law and Arbitration

Conference: 16th Conference of the European Society of International Law

The 16th Conference of the European Society of International Law will take place September 9-11, 2021, in Stockholm. The format will be hybrid, with panelists present onsite at the conference venue, while other participants can follow onsite or online. The program is here. Registration is now open here.

New Issue: Israel Law Review

The latest issue of the Israel Law Review (Vol. 54, no. 1, July 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Michael A Newton, Absolutist Admissibility at the ICC: Revalidating Authentic Domestic Investigations
• Diletta Marchesi, The War Crimes of Denying Judicial Guarantees and the Uncertainties Surrounding Their Material Elements
• Tomer Levinger, Denying the Right of Return as a Crime Against Humanity

Webinar: Is the future BBNJ agreement going to fill all relevant gaps relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction?

On June 10, 2021, the ESIL Interest Group on the Law of the Sea will host the third session of its webinar series on “Current Issues in the Law of the Sea.” The topic is “Is the future BBNJ agreement going to fill all relevant gaps relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction?” and will be delivered by Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli (formerly, United Nations - Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea). Details are here.

Seminar: Dealing with . . . the past? Reconciliation, reparations, and beyond

On June 16, 2021, the Amsterdam Center for International Law at the University of Amsterdam and Melbourne Law School’s Institute for International Law and the Humanities will hold the fourth seminar of the Series "Unpacking Transitional Justice: International Law, Memory, and Power." The seminar will be held online and feature Oishik Sircar (Jindal Univ.), Sara Kendall (Kent Univ.) and Christopher Gevers (Univ. of KwaZulu-Natal) on the topic "Dealing with . . . the past? Reconciliation, reparations, and beyond." Details and registration are here.

New Issue: Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies

The latest issue of the Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies (Vol. 12, no. 1, 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Ianiv Garfunkel, The Referral of the Situation in Venezuela to the International Criminal Court: The Office of the Prosecutor Should Not Step In… Yet
• Deniz Arbet Nejbir, Applying Humanitarian Law: A Review of the Legal Status of the Turkey–Kurdistan Workers’ Party (pkk) Conflict
• Emilia Pabian, Prolonged Occupation and Exploitation of Natural Resources: A Focus on Natural Gas off the Coast of Northern Cyprus
• Cristina Teleki, Detainee Operations in Ukraine: Risk or Opportunity for International Law?
• Piergiuseppe Parisi, Fact-Finding in Situations of Atrocities: In Search of Legitimacy

Iverson: Jus Post Bellum: The Rediscovery, Foundations, and Future of the Law of Transforming War into Peace

Jens Iverson (Leiden Univ. - Law) has published Jus Post Bellum: The Rediscovery, Foundations, and Future of the Law of Transforming War into Peace (Brill | Nijhoff 2021). Here's the abstract:

In Jus Post Bellum, Jens Iverson provides the Just War foundations of the concept, reveals the function of jus post bellum, and integrates the law that governs the transition from armed conflict to peace. This volume traces the history of jus post bellum avant la letter, tracing important writings on the transition to peace from Augustine, Aquinas, and Kant to more modern jurists and scholars. It explores definitional aspects of jus post bellum, including current its relationship to sister terms and related fields. It also critically evaluates the current state and possibilities for future development of the law and normative principles that apply to the transition to peace. Peacebuilders, scholars, and diplomats will find this book a crucial resource.

Maia & Collin: Nuclear Weapons and International Law: Visions of a Plural World

Catherine Maia (Universidade Lusófona do Porto - Law) & Jean-Marie Collin (GRIP – Groupe de recherche et d’information sur la paix et la sécurité) have published Nuclear Weapons and International Law: Visions of a Plural World (Edições Universitárias Lusófonas 2021). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

In a world affected by the Covid-19 global pandemic, where more financial resources would be needed for medicines instead of weapons, all nuclear States – whether parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or not, whether democratic or authoritarian regimes – keep modernising their nuclear arsenal. Despite this attitude, which highlights the crisis of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, since the launch of the “Humanitarian Initiative” in 2010, nuclear disarmament has been at the centre of the action of an increasing number of countries, with the strong support of NGOs. This phenomenon gave unprecedented visibility and significance to the topic, and allowed the entry into force in 2021 of the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, in order to achieve their total elimination. These recent developments show that there are hopes and challenges in a pluralistic world where nuclear and non-nuclear weapons States continue to confront each other in this highly sensitive area. It is against this background that readers are offered a set of different perspectives on these weapons of mass destruction, authored by a multidisciplinary team of contributors from a wide array of geographical areas.

Special Issue: Derecho Internacional Económico: Temas actuales en comercio, inversión y derecho transnacional

The latest issue of Derecho PUCP (no. 86, 2021) focuses on "Derecho Internacional Económico: Temas actuales en comercio, inversión y derecho transnacional." Contents include:

• Derecho Internacional Económico: Temas actuales en comercio, inversión y derecho transnacional
• Luciano Pezzano, El artículo XXI del GATT y la agresión: hacia una interpretación compatible con la unidad del orden jurídico internacional
• Natalia Gallardo-Salazar & Jaime Tijmes-IHL, La Alianza del Pacífico y el CPTPP: ¿alternativas para la solución de diferencias ante la OMC?
• Pablo Guillermo Peña Alegría, María Ángela Sasaki Otani, & Carlos Trinidad Alvarado, ¿Cómo enverdecer el derecho comunitario andino?: propuestas para insertar políticas de precios al carbono en un contexto de recuperación verde de la Comunidad Andina
• Christian Carbajal Valenzuela & Yolanda Mendoza Neyra, El arbitraje internacional de inversiones y la lucha internacional contra la corrupción
• Juan-Felipe Toro-Fernandez & Jaime Tijmes-IHL, Los capítulos de inversiones en la Alianza del Pacífico, el CPTPP y el T-MEC: convergencia sustantiva, divergencia procesal
• José Antonio Pejovés Macedo, Ventas marítimas y confluencia contractual
• Adriana Mae Molina Rivas, La necesidad de actualización y perfeccionamiento de la regulación de la insolvencia transfronteriza en Cuba

New Issue: International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law

The latest issue of the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law (Vol. 36, no. 2, 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Klaas Willaert & Pradeep A Singh, Deep Sea Mining Partnerships with Developing States: Favourable Collaborations or Opportunistic Endeavours?
• Michael Sheng-ti Gau & Gang Tang, The Operation of the CLCS Facing Disputes: An Examination of the Rules and Practices
• Alexander Lott, The (In)applicability of the Right of Innocent Passage in the Gulf of Finland – Russia’s Return to a Mare Clausum?
• Lena Schøning, The Contribution of Integrated Marine Policies to Marine Environmental Protection: The Case of Norway
• Sandrine W. De Herdt, In the Name of Equality: The ‘Bengal Rule’
• Ekaterina Antsygina, Prohibition of Bottom Trawling on Extended Continental Shelves: Creeping Jurisdiction or Enforcement of Sovereign Rights?
• Talitha Ramphal, The Freedom to Use the High Seas to Protect and Preserve the Marine Environment: Case Study of the Activities of The Ocean Cleanup
• Gabriela A. Oanta, Resolving the United Kingdom and European Union Membership of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations Post Brexit

Vasconcelos Vilaça & Varaki: Ethical Leadership in International Organizations: Concepts, Narratives, Judgment, and Assessment

Guilherme Vasconcelos Vilaça (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México) & Maria Varaki (King's College London) have published Ethical Leadership in International Organizations: Concepts, Narratives, Judgment, and Assessment (Cambridge Univ. Press 2021). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

This book offers an innovative interdisciplinary approach that elucidates the importance of virtue ethics to help better understand the role of leadership in international organisations. The authors use a combination of theoretical and conceptual narratives as well as case studies to highlight both the advantages and weaknesses that the angle of virtue ethics offers. A particularly important step in times of uncertainty or crisis when the demand for leadership becomes more urgent yet more daunting. In this sense, this volume oscillates between critique and hope, since it provides a plausible, rather than a purely abstract, approach to the conceptualization and concretization of ethical leadership.

New Issue: Global Trade and Customs Journal

The latest issue of Global Trade and Customs Journal (Vol. 16, no. 6, 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Martijn L. Schippers, Software and Customs Valuation
• Manya Gupta, James J. Nedumpara, Special Economic Zones and Free Trade Enclaves: A Troubled Existence After India: Export Related Measures (Panel) Ruling?
• Michael Lux, Christopher Matt, Classification of Goods: What are the Hurdles and Pitfalls in the Use of Automation or IT Support?
• Duy K. Dinh, Rules of Origin in RCEP Agreement: Advancement and Convergence
• Laura Fraedrich & Andrew Bisbas, US Customs Rulings Highlight Importance of Arm’s Length Valuation Requirement
• Nada Morsy Elzahar, Alejandro Matsuno Remigio, & Sadia Sultan, Systemic Issues in the Panel Report in Indonesia – Chicken (Article 21.5: Brazil)

New Issue: Review of International Studies

The latest issue of the Review of International Studies (Vol. 47, no. 3, July 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Jean-François Drolet & Michael C. Williams, The radical Right, realism, and the politics of conservatism in postwar international thought
• Rens van Munster & Casper Sylvest, Nuclear weapons, extinction, and the Anthropocene: Reappraising Jonathan Schell
• Yih-Jye Hwang, Reappraising the Chinese School of International Relations: A postcolonial perspective
• Hortense Jongen, Peer review and compliance with international anti-corruption norms: Insights from the OECD Working Group on Bribery
• Andrea Liese, Jana Herold, Hauke Feil, & Per-Olof Busch, The heart of bureaucratic power: Explaining international bureaucracies’ expert authority
• Naghmeh Nasiritousi & Hugo Faber, Legitimacy under institutional complexity: Mapping stakeholder perceptions of legitimate institutions and their sources of legitimacy in global renewable energy governance

Webinar: Operationalising Customary International Human Rights Law

On June 16, 2021, the University of Westminster will host a webinar on "Operationalising Customary International Human Rights Law." Details are here.

Streinz: International Economic Law's Regulation of Data as a Resource for the Artificial Intelligence Economy

Thomas Streinz (New York Univ. - Guarini Global Law & Tech) has posted International Economic Law's Regulation of Data as a Resource for the Artificial Intelligence Economy (in Artificial Intelligence and International Economic Law: Disruption, Regulation, and Reconfiguration, Shin-yi Peng, Ching-Fu Lin, Thomas Streinz eds., forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

This chapter for a forthcoming volume on artificial intelligence and international economic law surveys regulatory interventions through which governments seek to enhance domestic companies’ access to data: Mandatory data sharing requirements (as under the EU’s new financial services regulations), data transfer restrictions (as under India’s draft ecommerce policy), and open data initiatives (as under Singapore’s ‘smart nation’ initiative)— all seek to make more data available with the aim of spurring innovation and growth in the artificial intelligence economy. Such measures are indirectly affected by existing and newly emerging rules of international economic law. International investment law is likely to be mobilized in defense against governments that seek to mandate data sharing from private data holders, while new rules on “digital trade” are meant to ensure transnational data mobility. In sum, international economic law regulates data in favor of data-holders’ ability to retain control over data location and use and constrains states’ ability to confront asymmetric control over data.

Bismuth, Dunin-Wasowicz, & Nichols: The Transnationalization of Anti-Corruption Law

Régis Bismuth (Sciences Po - Law), Jan Dunin-Wasowicz (Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP), & Philip M. Nichols (Univ. of Pennsylvania - Wharton School) have published The Transnationalization of Anti-Corruption Law (Routledge 2021). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

The last twenty years have witnessed an astonishing transformation: the fight against corruption has grown from a handful of local undertakings into a truly global effort. Law occupies a central role in that effort and this timely book assesses the challenges faced in using law as it too morphs from a handful of local rules into a global regime.

The book presents the perspectives of a global array of scholars, of policy makers, and of practitioners. Topics range from critical theoretical understandings of the global regime as a whole, to regional and local experiences in implementing and influencing the regime, including specific legal techniques such as deferred prosecution agreements, addressing corruption issues in dispute resolution, whistleblower protection, civil and administrative prosecutions, as well as blocking statutes. The book also includes discussions of the future shape of the global regime, the emergence of transnational compliance standards, and discussions by leaders of international organizations that take a leading role in the transnationalization of anti-corruption law.

The Transnationalization of Anti-Corruption Law deals with the most salient aspects of the global anti-corruption regime. It is written by people who contribute to the structure of the regime, who practice within the regime, and who study the regime. It is written for anyone interested in corruption or corruption control in general, anyone with a general interest in jurisprudence or in international law, and especially anyone who is interested in critical thinking and analysis of how law can control corruption in a global context.

Aloni: The League of Nations and the Protection of the Environment

Omer Aloni (Bar-Ilan Univ.) has published The League of Nations and the Protection of the Environment (Cambridge Univ. Press 2021). Here's the abstract:

In the history of how the law has dealt with environmental issues over the last century or so, the 1920s and 30s and the key role of the League of Nations in particular remain underexplored by scholars. By delving into the League's archives, Omer Aloni uncovers the story of how the interwar world expressed similar concerns to those of our own time in relation to nature, environmental challenges and human development, and reveals a missing link in understanding the roots of our ecological crisis. Charting the environmental regime of the League, he sheds new light on its role as a centre of surprising environmental dilemmas, initiatives, and solutions. Through a number of fascinating case studies, the hidden interests, perceptions, motivations, hopes, agendas and concerns of the League are revealed for the first time. Combining legal thought, historical archival research and environmental studies, a fascinating period in legal-environmental history is brought to life.

New Issue: International Peacekeeping

The latest issue of International Peacekeeping (Vol. 28, no. 3, 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Understanding Ceasefires
• Corinne Bara, Govinda Clayton & Siri Aas Rustad, Understanding Ceasefires
• Govinda Clayton, Laurie Nathan & Claudia Wiehler, Ceasefire Success: A Conceptual Framework
• Malin Åkebo, Ceasefire Rationales: A Comparative Study of Ceasefires in the Moro and Communist Conflicts in the Philippines
• Kolby Hanson, Live and Let Live: Explaining Long-term Truces in Separatist Conflicts
• Claudia Wiehler, Deciding on the Tit for the Tat: Decision-Making in the Wake of Ceasefire Violations
• Júlia Palik, Watchdogs of Pause: The Challenges of Ceasefire Monitoring in Yemen
• Margaux Pinaud, Home-Grown Peace: Civil Society Roles in Ceasefire Monitoring
• Alex Waterman, Ceasefires and State Order-Making in Naga Northeast India