Monday, March 19, 2012

ASIL Cables

The American Society of International Law has launched ASIL Cables, a website aimed to provide daily reports during the Society's upcoming Annual Meeting, which will take place March 28-March 31, in Washington, DC. Tai-Heng Cheng (New York Law School) will serve as ASIL Cables' editor. Here's his description of the idea:

For over a century, the American Society of International Law has convened scholars, policy-makers, and legal practitioners to exchange ideas about international law. Through its publications and meetings, the Society has brought its discussions to communities worldwide. In this fashion, the Society has deepened our understanding of international law and influenced solutions to global problems.

Internet technology has amplified the convening power of the Society. This 2012 edition of ASIL Cables is the Society’s inaugural effort to present online daily reports of discussions and events as they occur at the Annual Meeting. It connects, almost in real time, those of us at the meeting with those who cannot be present. For the Society’s members who are unable to attend the Meeting, and for readers who have not yet become members, ASIL Cables is a way to stay abreast of the latest ideas generated at the Meeting. It is also another arena for ASIL members to engage each other in conversations about the pressing issues of the day, either as contributors to ASIL Cables or by posting comments to the contributors’ dispatches.