Besson: Democratic Representation in International Organizations

Samantha Besson (Collège de France) has published Democratic Representation in International Organizations (Cambridge Univ. Press 2026). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

International organizations (IOs) play a central role in contemporary international law-making: they institutionalize most of the processes through which international law is adopted today. From the perspective of the democratic legitimacy of international law, this raises the question of the conditions under which those IOs may be regarded as democratic representatives of their Member States' peoples. Curiously, given its important international and domestic stakes, however, the democratic representativeness of IOs, but also of States and other public and private institutions within those IOs does not seem to be much of a concern in practice. Even more curiously, and by contrast to other issues of democratic legitimacy it is necessarily related to, such as participation or deliberation inside IOs, representation has only rarely been addressed as such in scholarly debates. It is this gap in theory and practice that this volume purports to fill. It is the first one bringing global democracy theorists and international lawyers into dialogue on the topic and in English language. This title is available as open access on Cambridge Core.

New Issue: American Journal of International Law

The latest issue of the American Journal of International Law (Vol. 120, no. 3, July 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Articles
• Rifat Azam, The United States, China, and the OECD—UN Rivalry: Asymmetric Regime Complexity in Global Tax Governance
• Sannoy Das, Non-discrimination as Discrimination: The MFN Obligation and International Trade Law
• International Decisions
• Xue Feng & Xueliang Ji, United States — Certain Tax Credits Under the Inflation Reduction Act. Panel Report. WT/DS623/R
• Marios Tokas, Hellenic Council of State, Decision A, No. 1918-20/2025
• Contemporary Practice of the United States Relating to International Law
• The United States Takes an à la Carte Approach to the United Nations
• President Trump Launches the Board of Peace
• The United States and the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework Agree on a “Side-by-Side” Arrangement Exempting U.S. Multinationals from the Global Minimum Tax Regime
• President Trump Demands that Denmark Sell Greenland to the United States, Threatening to Take It by Force
• Recent Books on International Law
• Chimène I. Keitner, State Responsibility as Myth and Legend
• Anne Trebilcock, reviewing International Organization Initiatives: How and Why Organizations Adapt and Change, edited by Gabrielle Marceau and Henner Gött
• Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, reviewing International Legal Theory and the Cognitive Turn, edited by Anne van Aaken and Moshe Hirsch
• Roger O’Keefe, reviewing End of Immunity: Holding World Leaders Accountable for Aggression, Genocide, War Crimes, and Crimes Against Humanity, by Chile Eboe-Osuji

Yale Law Journal Student Essay Competition on "Emerging Issues in International Law"

The Yale Law Journal has announced that submissions are open for its tenth annual student essay competition. This year's topic is: "Emerging Issues in International Law." Details are here.

New Issue: La Comunità Internazionale

The latest issue of La Comunità Internazionale (Vol. 81, no. 2, 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Interventi
• Ugo Villani, Il problema della sanzione nel diritto internazionale
• Articoli e Saggi
• Nicola Colacino, Tecniche di normazione dell’intelligenza artificiale: una lettura nichilista
• Francesco Seatzu, Rethinking Consular Protection in Times of Hybrid Conflicts: From the 1963 Vienna Framework to Emerging Normative Pathways
• Osservatorio Diritti Umani
• Michele Nino, La giurisprudenza della Corte europea dei diritti dell’uomo in materia di proprietà intellettuale: dal riconoscimento al consolidamento nel sistema di Strasburgo
• Osservatorio Europeo
• Najada Kilic, Denard Veshi, Gentjan Skara, Darlin Katundi, The Role of the EU in Promoting the Rule of Law in Albania: The Longstanding Impact of the 2016 Judicial Reform
• Note e Commenti
• Manfredi Marciante, Governing Alternative Marine-Fuel Releases Under International Maritime and Environmental Law
• Amartina Mannaioli, A trent’anni da Dayton: la situazione in Bosnia ed Erzegovina tra spinte secessioniste e diritti negati