New Issue: International & Comparative Law Quarterly

The latest issue of the International & Comparative Law Quarterly (Vol. 73, no. 1, January 2024) is out. Contents include:

• Articles
• Merris Amos, Democratic State, Autocratic Method: The Reform of Human Rights Law in the United Kingdom
• Toni Marzal, The Territorial Reach of European Union Law: A Private International Law Enquiry into the European Union's Spatial Identity
• Csongor Istvan Nagy, The Rebellion of Constitutional Courts and the Normative Character of European Union Law
• Sean Molloy, Child Soldiers and Peace Agreements
• Jack Kenny, Cyber Operations and the Status of Due Diligence Obligations in International Law
• Juan Pablo Ramaciotti & Jo Shaw, ‘The Transient Foreigner’: Restrictions on Citizenship Acquisition in Chile and Colombia for Those Said to Be ‘Passing Through’
• Johanna Aleria P. Lorenzo, Accountability Mechanisms of Multilateral Development Banks and the Law of International Responsibility
• Shorter Articles
• Jorge E. Viñuales, Comparing Environmental Law Systems
• Siena Anstis, Regulating Transnational Dissident Cyber Espionage

New Issue: Asian Journal of International Law

The latest issue of the Asian Journal of International Law (Vol. 14, no. 1, January 2024) is out. Contents include:

• Mohammad Shahabuddin, Pan-Asianism, Anti-Imperialism, and International Law in the Early Twentieth Century
• Mohsen Nagheeby, The Worst or the Best Treaty? Analysing the Equitable and Reasonable Utilization Principle in the Legal Arrangements of the Helmand River
• Heidarali Teimouri, International Judicial Intervention in the Case of Libya: From Justice Enforcer to Peace Maker Right Constituency and Institutional Independence: Virtues of a Fight against Realpolitik
• Zaker Ahmad, The European Commission's Glass Fibre Fabrics Investigation and the Boundaries Between Investment and Trade
• Mark McLaughlin The Geoeconomics of Belt and Road Disputes: A Case Study on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
• Sharmin Tania, Meika Atkins, Robert Cunningham, & Ajith Anawaratna, Reimagining the Special and Differential Treatment Provisions in the WTO's Dispute Settlement Understanding
• Felicity Deane, Emily Woolmer, Shoufeng Cao, & Kieran Tranter, Trade in the Digital Age: Agreements to Mitigate Fragmentation
• Emma Palmer, Roads and Rules: What Does Infrastructure Reveal about International Law?

New Issue: Europa Ethnica

The latest issue of Europa Ethnica (Vol. 80, nos. 3/4, 2023). Contents include:

• Emma Lantschner, Gerichtssprache Slowenisch: rechtliche Entwicklung und aktuelle Herausforderungen
• Heinrich Neisser, „In Vielfalt geeint“ – das Dilemma der europäischen Minderheitenpolitik
• Peter Bußjäger, Die Sprache in den Verfassungen der österreichischen Bundesländer
• Paolo Ruspini, Migration, Identity and Memory in a Transnational Perspective

Hoffmann: Freezing or Consolidating the Development of War Crimes Law? The International Criminal Court and the Role of Judicial Innovation

Tamás Hoffmann (Corvinus Univ. of Budapest) has posted Freezing or Consolidating the Development of War Crimes Law? The International Criminal Court and the Role of Judicial Innovation (in ICC Jurisprudence and the Development of International Humanitarian Law, Martin Faix & Ondřej Svaček eds., forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

After the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, several commentators claimed that the Statute was specifically drafted to curtail judicial innovation following a period of exponential expansion led by the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). One particularly vicious criticism was voiced by Alain Pellet, who accused the drafters of the statute that as a ‘result of a veritable brainwashing operation led by criminal lawyers, with the self-interested support of the United States […] have frozen customary definitions in a process of rapid evolution’. This chapter aims to further examine the question of whether the institutional design of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court has indeed restricted the development of international criminal law, focusing on the field of war crimes law. It first analyses the relationship between international humanitarian law and international criminal law, then addresses the historical role of the Nuremberg Tribunal and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the development of war crimes law. Finally, it zeroes in on the Rome Statute and investigates whether the crime definitions and the emphasis on the principle of legality have actually curbed the potential for judicial innovation.

Call for Papers: The Environment before International Courts and Tribunals: new challenges for international regulation

The fifth UFMG International Law Colloquium will take palce on April 11-13, 2024, at the Federal University of Minas Gerais Law School, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The topic is: "The Environment before International Courts and Tribunals: new challenges for international regulation." The event is co-organized by the Latin American Society of International Law and the Brazilian Branch of the International Law Association. The call is here.

Pierini: Conflicts of Criminal Laws in the Subject Matter of Competence. The Early Resolutions of the Institut de Droit International

Jean Paul Pierini has published Conflicts of Criminal Laws in the Subject Matter of Competence. The Early Resolutions of the Institut de Droit International (Valore Italiano Editore 2023). Here's the abstract:

The exercise by States of criminal jurisdiction for conduct occurring outside their territory and conflicting claims are part of the daily legal landscape. Going through the early attempts by the Institut de Droit International to address conflicts of criminal law in the area of competence, starting from what the author calls the “Belle Époque” of international law, is an experience in and of itself. Conflicts of criminal laws are a somewhat exotic topic, reflecting an approach aimed at addressing the solution of conflicts of laws and preventing their most evident repercussion, jurisdictional conflicts, in the same shape as conflicts of laws under private international law, seeking the closest link existing between a certain situation and legislation and judicature. The approach reflected rather a “cultural attitude” to establish a level of cooperation with other States “below that of public international law”. Indeed, jurisdictional conflicts in criminal matters are impossible to keep at a level not encroaching on the sensibility of States, even if they do not involve the scrutiny of the exercise of public functions. The idealistic attempts to address conflicts of criminal laws are, in any case, inspiring and provide an insight into an age by no way less complex than the contemporary world, in which a small group of talented individuals believed to track the path of the development of international law. The themes addressed by the “men of 1873” and vehemently discussed are frequently still up for discussion. The book delves into the history and working procedures of the Institut, analysing resolutions, proposals, and, more generally, themes raised by its members. In such a fashion, the “Theses” proposed by Swiss professor Charles Brocher built on a broad idea of an “extended territoriality” entailing legal fictions. The later 1883 Munich Resolution provided a challenging construct by Ludwig von Bar and Emilio Brusa, outlining a comprehensive system built on strict territoriality and the physical presence of the author of the offence. The 1889 Montevideo Convention reversed the model and shows the influence of the debate at the Institut while building a system based on the sole effects of the offence. The 1879 Report by Louis Renault on the protection of submarine cables envisaged an advanced mechanism combining shared jurisdiction to enforce the prohibition to break and damage cables with the flag State’s exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate. The pioneering initiatives of the Institut are motivating reading for those interested in the multifaceted aspects of jurisdictional issues.

Tello Mendoza: Control de convencionalidad y Estado Constitucional de Derecho

Juan Alonso Tello Mendoza (Univ. of Barcelona - Law) has published Control de convencionalidad y Estado Constitucional de Derecho (Tirant 2023). Here's the abstract:

El control de convencionalidad es una doctrina creada por la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos a partir de 2006. Desde entonces, el desarrollo de su noción sugiere que la Corte IDH y toda autoridad estatal tienen el deber de oficio de realizar un control entre el llamado canon interamericano (compuesto por los tratados regionales de derechos humanos y los pronunciamientos de la Corte IDH) y todo el ordenamiento jurídico interno, de modo que, de estimarse una incompatibilidad, prevalezca el primero. Dicha figura ha generado un arduo debate político en la academia y los altos tribunales nacionales. En esta obra se explica el control de convencionalidad según es realizado por la Corte IDH, analizando si goza de sólida y suficiente fundamentación jurídica en las fuentes del Derecho Internacional Público. Asimismo, se pasa revista a su aplicación en diez Estados de la Región. Particular atención se presta a las implicancias de tal figura desde las categorías del Estado Constitucional de Derecho y a cómo esta doctrina pretende un tránsito hacia un Estado Convencional de Derecho. El autor argumenta por qué el control de convencionalidad según lo entiende la Corte IDH debe ser repensado para contar con una adecuada y consistente justificación en el Derecho Internacional a la vez de no poner en riesgo los principios basales del Estado Constitucional de Derecho.

New Issue: La Comunità Internazionale

The latest issue of La Comunità Internazionale (Vol. 78, no. 4, 2023) is out. Contents include:

• Articoli e Saggi
• Paolo Bargiacchi, Alcune riflessioni sulla legittima difesa nel diritto internazionale (II parte)
• Matteo Fornari, Questioni di diritto internazionale umanitario nella “operazione militare speciale” della Federazione Russa in Ucraina
• Diego Zannoni, The Slow Atrophy of the Principle of the Peaceful Use of Outer Space. 657 Carlotta Ceretelli, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Sustainable Development: An International Economic Law Perspective
• Luca Romano, Food Loss and Waste: A New Challenge for the International Law on Sustainable Development?
• Note e Commenti
• Mariachiara Giovinazzo, Recent Developments in ICJ’s Jurisprudence on the Identification of Customary Law
• Niccolò Lanzoni, Diritti sovrani, interessi comuni e patrimonio dell’umanità: alcune osservazioni sulle modalità di accesso e ripartizione dei benefici derivanti dall’utilizzazione delle risorse genetiche
• Cesare Augusto Placanica, Osservazioni critiche sulla sentenza 159/2023 della Corte Costituzionale sul Fondo Ristori per le vittime italiane dei crimini nazisti

New Issue: Journal of International Economic Law

The latest issue of the Journal of International Economic Law (Vol. 26, no. 4, December 2023) is out. Contents include:

• Oliver Hailes & Jorge E. Viñuales, Introduction to the symposium
• Oliver Hailes & Jorge E. Viñuales, The energy transition at a critical juncture
• Ginevra Le Moli, Beyond externalities: human rights as a foundation of entitlements over energy resources
• Oliver Hailes, From guano to green hydrogen: food security and fertilizer disputes in international energy law
• Ilaria Espa, Energy disciplines in PTAs between security and sustainability concerns: a comparative perspective
• Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez, Contradictions and tensions in the way the USMCA regulates energy
• Agata Daszko, The Energy Charter Treaty at a critical juncture: of knowns, unknowns, and lasting significance
• Yuanyuan Zhang, International law in the China–Russian energy partnership: mapping the partnership-based relational approach
• Anna-Alexandra Marhold, Towards a ‘security-centred’ energy transition: balancing the European Union’s ambitions and geopolitical realities
• Anatole Boute, Energy justice in times of crisis: protection of consumers and market-based renewable energy investments
• Berk Demirkol, Peaceful settlement of inter-state energy disputes: applicable law, defence arguments, and remedies in the ICC arbitration between Iraq and Turkey
• Henry Gao & Weihuan Zhou, Competition among purposes: The Chinese Experience in the Governance of Climate Change and Energy Transition
• Daria Shapovalova, Climate change and oil and gas production regulation: an impossible reconciliation?

New Issue: The World Economy

The latest issue of The World Economy (Vol. 47, no. 1, January 2024) is out. Contents include:

• Special Issue: New Aspects of Economic and Financial Integration
• António Afonso, Cristina Badarau, & Camélia Turcu, Introduction to INFER special issue on “new aspects of economic and financial integration”
• Wildmer Daniel Gregori, Maria Martinez-Cillero, & Michela Nardo, The effects of cross-border acquisitions on firms' productivity in the EU
• Vignawou Lucien Ahouangbe & Camelia Turcu, How bilateral foreign direct investment influences environmental convergence
• Sophie Brana, Dalila Chenaf-Nicet, & Delphine Lahet, Drivers of cross-border bank claims: The role of foreign-owned banks in emerging countries
• Vanessa Olakemi Dovonou, Trilemma revisited with dollar dominance in trade and finance
• António Afonso & José Carlos Coelho, Fiscal and current account imbalances: The cases of Germany and Portugal
• João Tovar Jalles, Pandemics and economic turmoil in the short-run: The role of fiscal space
• Kéa Baret, Amélie Barbier-Gauchard, & Théophilos Papadimitriou, Forecasting stability and growth pact compliance using machine learning
• Tam NguyenHuu & Deniz Karaman Örsal, Geopolitical risks and financial stress in emerging economies
• Eduardo de Sá Fortes Leitão Rodrigues, Uncertainty and the effectiveness of fiscal policy in the United States and Brazil: SVAR approach
• Nicolas Himounet, Francisco Serranito, & Julien Vauday, A positive effect of uncertainty shocks on the economy: Is the chase over?
• Luis R. Díaz Pavez & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, The impact of automation on labour market outcomes in emerging countries
• Fabio Montobbio, Jacopo Staccioli, Maria Enrica Virgillito, & Marco Vivarelli, Labour-saving automation: A direct measure of occupational exposure
• Mariya Brussevich, The socioeconomic impact of Special Economic Zones: Evidence from Cambodia

Fach Gómez: The Technological Competence of Arbitrators: A Comparative and International Legal Study

Katia Fach Gómez (Univ. of Zaragoza - Law) has published The Technological Competence of Arbitrators: A Comparative and International Legal Study (Springer 2023). Here's the abstract:

Arbitration is facing revolutionary changes due to new technologies’ irruption into the entire arbitration proceeding. Wide-ranging technical-legal concepts such as e-discovery, e-hearing, cyber-security protocol, e-deliberations, algorithmic decision-making and digital signing have become part of life. Technology’s impact on arbitration is unlikely to decrease after the COVID crisis; on the contrary, how the arbitration community positions itself vis-à-vis technology will be a key factor in determining arbitration’s future. Faced with this challenging scenario, the book discusses a novel legal topic: arbitrators’ relationship with this increasingly ubiquitous, rapidly-changing technology.

This innovative book applies journalism’s “5 W questions” to the underexplored issue of arbitrators’ digital competence. It reaches a workable definition of what digital competence in the current arbitration context is, also providing answers to the essential question of why arbitrators’ digital competence is relevant from legal and financial points of view. Attention then shifts to who, with reflections on arbitrators working in a highly technological context and clarification of their relationship with other legal and non-legal actors. The book equally offers an in-depth comparative study of the question of where arbitrators’ technological competence is regulated, with critical analysis of soft and hard law provisions that may impose a digital competence duty. Finally, the book specifies when arbitrators need to be digitally competent and develops legal proposals regarding key procedural stages (initial conference, hearings) and legal topics (cybersecurity, data protection).

The first study to scrutinise the rapidly changing relationship between arbitrators and technology, the book aims to spark a crucial debate among practitioners and scholars. Academically rigorous and using the latest legal material, it emphasises arbitrators’ needs, rights and duties in our technological age, presenting them alongside carefully selected practical topics. The unprecedented and well-grounded proposals for arbitrators’ digital competence are intended to be a call to action for its broad target audience.