Goldsmith & Rabkin: A Treaty the Senate Should Sink

Jack Goldsmith (Harvard - Law) & Jeremy Rabkin (George Mason - Law) have an op-ed in today's Washington Post entitled A Treaty the Senate Should Sink, which responds to the piece by John Negroponte and Gordon England in the Washington Times last month that advocated Senate advice and consent to ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention. Here's the text:

The Bush administration is urging the Senate to consent this summer to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the complex and sprawling treaty that governs shipping, navigation, mining, fishing and other ocean activities. This is a major departure from the administration's usual stance toward international organizations that have the capacity to restrain U.S. sovereignty. And it comes in a surprising context, since the convention has disturbing implications for our fight against terrorists.

Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England maintain that the convention will enhance U.S. security. They argued in the Washington Times last month that to meet the "complex array of global and transnational security challenges," the United States must have "unimpeded maritime mobility - the ability of our forces to respond any time, anywhere, if so required."

This is true, but ratifying the convention won't bring this benefit. Instead it would put America's naval counterterrorism efforts under the control of foreign judges. Suppose the United States seizes a vessel it suspects of shipping dual-use items that might be utilized to build weapons of mass destruction or other tools of terrorism. It's not a wild supposition. Under the Proliferation Security Initiative, the United States has since 2003 secured proliferation-related high-seas interdiction agreements with countries such as Belize and Panama, which provide registration for much international shipping. If the United States ratifies the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the legality of such seizures will, depending on the circumstances, be left to the decision of one of two international tribunals.

The first is the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in Hamburg. Some members of the Hamburg tribunal come from countries naturally suspicious of American power, such as China and Russia. Others are not allied with the United States. Even judges from Europe and South America do not always see things the way U.S. military authorities do.

The second institution is a five-person international arbitration panel. The United States and the flag state of the seized ship would have input into the selection of some of these arbitrators. But the U.N. secretary general or the president of the Hamburg tribunal would select the crucial fifth arbitrator when, as would typically be the case, the state parties cannot agree. They must choose from a list of "experts" to which every state party to the convention - not just China and Russia but other unfriendly nations such as Cuba and Burma - can contribute.

At minimum, these tribunals would pose awkward questions to the United States about the evidence behind a seizure, how we gathered it and who vouches for the information. At worst they would follow the recent example of the International Court of Justice and use a legal dispute to score points against American "unilateralism" and "arrogance" for a global audience keen to humble the United States. In every case, a majority of non-American judges would decide whether the U.S. Navy can seize a ship that it believes is carrying terrorist operatives or supplies for terrorists.

It's true that the convention exempts "military activities" from the tribunals' jurisdiction, but it does not define the term. The executive branch, worried about this ambiguity, has proposed a condition to ratification that would allow the United States to define the exemption for itself. But this condition amounts to a "reservation" disallowed by the treaty. International tribunals would still have the last word on the validity of the U.S. condition and the resulting scope of permissible U.S. naval actions.

Supporters note that many of the treaty's "freedom of the seas" provisions favor U.S. interests. But the United States already receives the benefits of these provisions because, as Negroponte and England acknowledged, they are "already widely accepted in practice." They maintain that ratifying the convention would nonetheless provide "welcome legal certainty." In recent years, however, the United States has not received much legal certainty from international tribunals dominated by non-American judges, and what it has received has not been very welcome. There is little reason to expect different results from these tribunals.

President Bush invokes a different rationale for ratifying the convention, arguing that it would "give the United States a seat at the table when the rights that are vital to our interests are debated and interpreted." What this really means is that American views of the law of the sea, even on issues related to national security, could be outvoted by a majority in an international forum. How can this make us safer?

New Issue: Journal of International Criminal Justice

The latest issue of the Journal of International Criminal Justice (Vol. 5, no. 2, May 2007) is out. Contents include:

• Saddam Hussein on Trial: What Went Awry?
• M.P. SCHARF, The Iraqi High Tribunal: A Viable Experiment in International Justice?
• C.F.J. DOEBBLER, An Intentionally Unfair Trial
• M. SISSONS & A.S. BASSIN, Was the Dujail Trial Fair?
• G. METTRAUX, The 2005 Revision of the Statute of the Iraqi Special Tribunal
• S. DE BERTODANO, Were There More Acceptable Alternatives to the Iraqi High Tribunal?
• Are ‘Targeted Killings’ Unlawful? The Israeli Supreme Court’s Response
• R.S. SCHONDORF, The Targeted Killings Judgment: A Preliminary Assessment
• A. COHEN & Y. SHANY, A Development of Modest Proportions: The Application of the Principle of Proportionality in the Targeted Killings Case
• O. BEN-NAFTALI, A Judgment in the Shadow of International Criminal Law
• W.J. FENRICK, The Targeted Killings Judgment and the Scope of Direct Participation in Hostilities
• A. CASSESE, On Some Merits of the Israeli Judgment on Targeted Killings
• How to Ameliorate International Criminal Proceedings: Some Constructive Suggestions
• S. ZAPPALA, Foreword
• I. BONOMY, The Reality of Conducting a War Crimes Trial
• O-G. KWON, The Challenge of an International Criminal Trial as Seen from the Bench
• M.B. HARMON, The Pre-trial Process at the ICTY as a Means of Ensuring Expeditious Trials: A Potential Unrealized
• G. HIGGINS, Fair and Expeditious Pre-trial Proceedings: The Future of International Criminal Trials
• J. DE HEMPTINNE, The Creation of Investigating Chambers at the International Criminal Court: An Option Worth Pursuing?
• National Implementation of the ICC Statute (Part II)
• L. VIERUCCI, Foreword
• J. BACIO TERRACINO, National Implementation of ICC Crimes: Impact on National Jurisdictions and the ICC
• R. CRYER and O. BEKOU, International Crimes and ICC Cooperation in England and Wales
• M. DU PLESSIS, South Africa’s Implementation of the ICC Statute: An African Example
• A.E. ALVAREZ, The Implementation of the ICC Statute in Argentina
• M. ROSCINI, Great Expectations: The Implementation of the Rome Statute in Italy
• F.K. TIBA, The Mengistu Genocide Trial in Ethiopia
• G. SLUITER, Compromising the Authority of International Criminal Justice: How Vojislav Šešelj Runs His Trial
• C. KREß, The Procedural Texts of the International Criminal Court

New Issue: Human Rights Quarterly

The latest issue of the Human Rights Quarterly (Vol. 29, no. 2, May 2007) is out. Contents include:

• Jack Donnelly, The Relative Universality of Human Rights
• Paul Gordon Lauren, "To Preserve and Build on its Achievements and to Redress its Shortcomings": The Journey from the Commission on Human Rights to the Human Rights Council
• Sumner B. Twiss, Torture, Justification, and Human Rights: Toward an Absolute Proscription
• David Kinley & Trevor Wilson, Engaging a Pariah: Human Rights Training in Burma/Myanmar
• Philippe Cullet, Human Rights and Intellectual Property Protection in the TRIPS Era
• Monica Feria Tinta, Justicability of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in the Inter-American System of Protection of Human Rights: Beyond Traditional Paradigms and Notions
• Alessandra Lundström Sarelin, Human Rights-Based Approaches to Development Cooperation, HIV/AIDS, and Food Security
• Rosemary Foot, The United Nations, Counter Terrorism, and Human Rights: Institutional Adaptation and Embedded Ideas

New Issue: World Arbitration and Mediation Review

The latest issue of World Arbitration and Mediation Review (Vol. 1, no. 2, 2007) is out. Contents include:

• SYMPOSIUM ON LATIN AMERICAN ARBITRATION
• Mary Helen Mourra, Introduction: Latin American Arbitration
• Mauricio Ipiña Nagel, Bolivian Gas Nationalization: Negotiation v. Arbitration
• Leonardo Bonadies Mora, Arbitration in Panama
• Nadia de Araujo & Frederico de Valle Magalhães Marques, Recognition of Foreign Judgments in Brazil: The Experience of the Supreme Court and the Shift to the Superior Federal Court
• Joaquirn de Paiva Muniz, The Development of Brazilian Decisional Law Favoring the Arbitrability of Disputes Involving State Entities
• Joaquim de Paiva Muniz, Recent Precedents in Brazil Regarding Service of Process in International Arbitrations
• Nicolás Ossa G., An Approach to International Arbitration: China & Chile

Kohen: Caflisch Festschrift

Marcelo G. Kohen (Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva) has published Promoting Justice, Human Rights and Conflict Resolution through International Law / La promotion de la justice, des droits de l’homme et du règlement des conflits par le droit international Liber Amicorum Lucius Caflisch (Martinus Nijhoff 2007). Contents include:

• Mathias-Charles Krafft, L’ambassadeur Lucius Caflisch, jurisconsulte du Département fédéral des affaires étrangères (DFAE) (1991-1998)
• Nisuke Ando, The Development of the Human Rights Committee’s Procedure to Consider States Parties’ Reports under Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• Robert Badinter, La marche vers une justice pénale internationale
• Ireneu Cabral Barreto, La Cour européenne des droits de l’homme et le droit communautaire (Quelques réflexions à propos de l’arrêt Bosphorus)
• Vincent Berger, Le « préjudice important » selon le Protocole n° 14 à la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme. Questions et réflexions
• Romualdo Bermejo García & Pilar Pozo Serrano, La communauté internationale face à la crise du Darfour: de l’échec dans la prévention à la responsabilité de réagir
• Andrea Bianchi, The Act of State: the State of the Act Judicial Interpretation and Human Rights Enforcement
• Andrew Clapham, The jus cogens Prohibition of Torture and the Importance of Sovereign State Immunity
• Benedetto Conforti, Quelques réflexions sur la jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme en matière de propriété
• Jean-Paul Costa, L’Etat, le territoire et la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme
• Blaise Godet et Jean-Daniel Vigny, La Suisse et la Commission des droits de l’homme de l’ONU
• Gerhard Hafner, The Issue of Reservations and Declarations to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
• John Hedigan, The Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights
• Charles-Edouard Held, L’application aux conflits armés non internationaux du Deuxième Protocole relatif à la Convention de La Haye de 1954 pour la protection des biens culturels en cas de conflit armé
• Martina Keller, Réunification allemande et droits de l’homme
• Chava Eve Landau, Reflections on the Right to Education - the European Perspective
• Ruth Lapidoth & Christian Franz, The Many Faces of the Term Open City
• Jürg Lindenmann, Transitional Justice and the International Criminal Court: Some Reflections on the Role of the ICC in Conflict Transformation
• Paul Mahoney, The European Convention on Royal Rights: Royalty, Aristocracy and the European Convention on Human Rights
• Djamchid Momtaz, De l’incompatibilité des amnisties inconditionnelles avec le droit international
• Mutoy Mubiala, L’accès de l’individu à la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples
• Egbert Myjer, The European Convention on Human Rights, the Fight Against Terrorism and the Ticking Bomb Situation
• José Antonio Pastor Ridruejo, Droit international des droits de l’homme et droit international humanitaire: leurs rapports à la lumière de la jurisprudence de la Cour internationale de Justice
• Matti Pellonpää, Continuity and Change in the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights
• Dan Sarooshi, International Criminal Justice: An Institutional Future?
• Dietrich Schindler, J.C. Bluntschli’s Contribution to the Law of War
• Paul Seger, Quelques réflexions sur l’application du principe de l’universalité en droit pénal et sur le rôle de la Suisse en tant qu’Etat hôte d’organisations et de conférences internationales
• Daphna Shraga, Military Occupation and UN Transitional Administrations - the Analogy and its Limitation
• Krzysztof Skubiszewski, Human Rights in the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
• Brigitte Stern, Vers une limitation de l’« irresponsabilité souveraine » des Etats et chefs d’Etat en cas de crime de droit international?
• Daniel Thürer & Malcolm Maclaren, In and Around the Ballot Box: Recent Developments in Democratic Governance and International Law put into Context
• Christian Tomuschat, Reparation in Favour of Individual Victims of Gross Violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law
• Rıza Türmen, Freedom of Conscience and Religion
• Nina Vajic, Interim Measures and the Mamatkulov Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights
• Mark E. Villiger, The Principle of Subsidiarity in the European Convention on Human Rights
• Luzius Wildhaber, De l’évolution des idées sur les missions de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme
• Georges Abi-Saab, Le principe de l’uti possidetis. Son rôle et ses limites dans le contentieux territorial international
• Julio A. Barberis, Quelques considérations sur le condominium en droit international public
• Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Sur les rives du droit international de l’eau: entre universalité et particularismes
• Pierre-Marie Dupuy, Le droit à l’eau: droit de l’homme ou droit des Etats?
• Philippe Gautier, L’Etat du pavillon et la protection des intérêts liés au navire
• Vladimir Ibler, Jus Cogens and the Law of the Sea
• Marcelo G. Kohen, The Decision on the Delimitation of the Eritrea/Ethiopia Boundary of 13 April 2002: A Singular Approach to International Law Applicable to Territorial Disputes
• Stephen C. McCaffrey, Some Developments in the Law of International Watercourses
• Budislav Vukas, A Quarter of a Century after UNCLOS III: A Personal Recollection
• Rüdiger Wolfrum, Antarctica: A Case for Common Implementation of Environmental Standards
• Hugo Caminos, The Creation of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea as a Specialized Court under the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea
• Christian Dominicé, L’opportunité judiciaire selon l’avis consultatif relatif aux Conséquences juridiques de l’édification d’un mur dans le territoire palestinien occupé
• Maurice K. Kamga, Les procédures d’urgence devant le Tribunal international du droit de la mer
• Robert Kolb, La dénonciation avec effet immédiat de déclarations facultatives établissant la compétence de la Cour internationale de Justice
• Heinrich B. Reimann, Le règlement pacifique des différends à l’OSCE
• W. Michael Reisman & Mahnoush H. Arsanjani, No Exit? A Preliminary Examination of the Legal Consequences of United States’ Withdrawal from the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
• Tullio Treves, Dispute-Settlement in the Law of the Sea: Disorder or System?
• Claudia Westerdiek, Le Tribunal administratif du Conseil de l’Europe: présentation et aperçu de la Jurisprudence
• Eric Wyler, Le médiateur, Tiers impartial au cœur du Droit
• Ernesto J. Rey Caro, The Administration of Aa Permanent Jurisdictional Entity for the MERCOSUR
• Christos L. Rozakis, Unilateral Declarations as a Means of Settling Human Rights Disputes: A New Tool for the Resolution of Disputes in the ECHR’s Procedure
• Georges S. Baur, Will New Developments in Global Economic and Financial Policy Erode International Law and the Sovereignty of States? - The Example of Liechtenstein
• Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, The Primacy of International Law Over Force
• Jérôme Candrian, Quelques réflexions sur les relations diplomatiques de la Suisse avec le Saint-Siège: Diplomatie et Religion au service du règlement pacifique des différends bilatéraux
• Bernard Dutoit, La Russie et l’Union européenne: des barbelés idéologiques aux espaces du partenariat
• Vera Gowlland-Debbas, The Responsibility of the Political Organs of the UN for Palestine in Light of the ICJ’s Wall Opinion
• Jean-Michel Jacquet, Voici venu le temps des traités! (Quelques réflexions sur l’évolution du droit des contrats d’Etat)
• Alain Pellet, Le projet d’articles de la C.D.I. sur la protection diplomatique : une codification pour (presque) rien
• Jean-Pierre Puissochet & Stéphane Gervasoni, Les coopérations renforcées entre États membres de l’Union européenne: et si c’était possible?
• Jean Salmon, Les métamorphoses de la gravité
• François Voeffray, Le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU: gouvernement mondial, législateur ou juge? Quelques réflexions sur les dangers de dérives

Fauchald, Jakhelln, & Syse: Fleischer Festschrift

Ole Kristian Fauchald (Oslo - Law), Henning Jakhelln (Oslo - Law), & Aslak Syse (Oslo - Law) have published Dog fred er ej det bedste: festskrift til Carl August Fleischer på hans 70-årsdag 26. august 2006 (Universitetsforlaget 2006). Contents include:

• Aslak Syse, Henning Jakhelln, Ole Kristian Fauchald, & Rolf Einar Fife, Carl August Fleischer - 70 år
• Ivar Alvik, Statsimmunitet etter norsk rett og folkeretten
• Johan Greger Aulstad, Rettsspørsmål knyttet til planvedtak og dispensasjonsvedtak i medhold av plan- og bygningsloven der kommunen selv eier grunn eller har andre private interesser i området
• Inge Lorange Backer, Kan foreldrene gi barna en «lett klaps»?
• Hans Chr. Bugge, Miljørett som rettsdisiplin
• Christoffer C. Eriksen, Hvordan bør rettslig dømmekraft utøves?
• Ole Kristian Fauchald & Kjersti Schiøtz Thorud, Protection of investors against expropriation - Norway’s obligations under investment treaties
• Rolf Einar Fife, The Legislative Response of the United Nations to Terrorism: Perspectives on Creative Forces and Sources of International Law
• Arne Fliflet, Er den «harde kjerne» i Grunnloven § 105 en henvisning til reelle hensyn? Noen refleksjoner omkring en strid i forrige århundre
• Ole Gjems-Onstad, Høyesterett som høyrisikosport - nye dommer om merverdiavgift
• Hans Petter Graver, Juss, politikk og dommeraktivisme i en flytende europeisk rettsorden
• Viggo Hagstrøm, Det offentliges ansvar for feilaktig informasjon
• Anne Hellum, Menneskerettigheter, pluralisme, kompleksitet og integrasjon
• Ragnhild Helene Hennum, Dommeravhør og menneskerettigheter - konvensjonspraksis om særlig sårbare vitner
• Stein Husby, Oversikt over kompensasjons- og oppreisningsordninger for pionerdykkerne i Nordsjøen
• Alf Petter Høgberg, Om kritikkene av fenomenet reelle hensyn, begrepet ‘reelle hensyn’ og termen «reelle hensyn»
• Benedikte Moltumyr Høgberg, Tilbakevirkningsforbudet - mer enn én rettsregel?
• Andrew J. Jacovides, Some Aspects of the Law of the Sea: Islands, Delimitation and Dispute Settlement Revisited
• Asbjørn Kjønstad, Reelle hensyn som rettskilde
• Dag Michalsen, Finnes det en kritisk tradisjon i norsk rettsvitenskap?
• Tor-Geir Myhrer, «… men ellers er det håpløst!» Kan langvarige individuelle påbud eller forbud hjemles i politiloven § 7?
• Gro Nystuen, The Security Council as a “Legislator” for the International Community
• Georg Fr. Rieber-Mohn, Villaksen i den politiske prosess
• Anne Robberstad, «Ånden som går». Om strafferettens sannhetsmonopol
• Inger-Johanne Sand, The fragmentation of law on the global level. Conflicts of law or processes of learning?
• Eivind Smith, Må datteren gjøre som moren sier? Om forholdet mellom lovgivningsmaktens grunnlag og grenser
• Aslak Syse og Marianne Jenum Hotvedt, Likeverd og tilgjengelighet - nedsatt funksjonsevne i et menneskerettsperspektiv
• Runar Torgersen, Bør adgangen til bevisavskjæring i straffesaker utvides?
• Ken Uggerud, Den andre bølge? Om menneskerettighetenes tilfeldige tilværelse i norsk rett
• Geir Ulfstein, Forsvarspolitikk og folkerett
• Michael Wood, The United Kingdom’s Acceptance of the Compulsory Jurisdiction of the International Court
• Frederik Zimmer, Har det noen verdi å bo i egen bolig?
• Bård Sverre Tuseth, Carl August Fleischers bibliografi

New Issue: Georgetown International Environmental Law Review

The latest issue of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review is out. Contents include:

• Anna Schulz, Creating a Legal Framework for Good Transboundary Water Governance in The Zambezi and Incomati River Basins
• J. Mijin Cha, Environmental Justice in Rural South Asia: Applying Lessons Learned from the United States in Fighting for Indigenous Communities' Rights and Access to Common Resources
• Shawkat Alam, An Examination of the International Environmental Law Governing the Proposed Indian River-Linking Project and an Appraisal of Its Ecological and Socio-Economic Implications for Lower Riparian Countries

New Issue: Journal of the History of International Law

The latest issue of the Journal of the History of International Law / Revue d'histoire du droit international (Vol. 9, no. 1, 2007) is out. Contents include:

• Gregory M. Reichberg, Preventive War in Classical Just War Theory
• Scott Andrew Keefer, Building the Palace of Peace: The Hague Conference of 1907 and Arms Control before the World War
• Shirley V. Scott, The Question of UN Charter Amendment, 1945-1965: Appeasing "the Peoples"
• Frédéric Blaive & Dominique Gaurier, Les mythes indo-européens sources du droit international public dans l'Antiquité

IMF: Resignation of Rodrigo de Rato

Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, announced yesterday that he will be resigning his position in October, approximately twenty months before his five-year term expires. Traditionally, the IMF Managing Director has been a western European national, chosen by those countries, just as the President of the World Bank has been a U.S. national chosen by the United States. This arrangement has been increasingly assailed over the past decade, including most recently during the selection of Paul Wolfowitz's successor at the Bank. Nonetheless, the European Union has already indicated that it continues to believe that the appointment of the Managing Director is its to make.

Buchheit, Gulati, & Thompson: The Dilemma of Odious Debts

Lee C. Buchheit (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton), G. Mitu Gulati (Duke - Law), & Robert B. Thompson (Vanderbilt - Law & Management) have published The Dilemma of Odious Debts (Duke L.J., Vol. 56, no. 5, Mar. 2007). Here's the abstract:

When a corrupt governmental regime borrows money in the name of the state, and then steals or squanders the proceeds, must the future citizens of that country repay the loan? The law says yes, but the moral instinct of most people says no.

The odious debt controversy is, at base, a struggle to find a workable legal doctrine that will avoid a morally repugnant result (visiting the sins of corrupt governors on innocent citizens), without undermining the legal basis of all sovereign borrowing. No counterparty, at least no commercial counterparty, would lend money to a sovereign believing that the loan was personal to the administration that contracted it, and could legally be disavowed following the next election, the next revolution or the next coup d'etat. One possible solution is to craft a doctrine of public international law that would relieve successor regimes from the legal obligation to repay the debts incurred by their odious predecessors. This would be a formidable task and there are others who have already set out on it. We propose a less dramatic step - asking whether a successor regime, if sued on an "odious" loan, might have available defenses founded in existing doctrines of domestic law.

New ICTY Prosecutor

It is being reported that Serge Brammertz, a Belgian national who leads the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (the Hariri inquiry) and was, until his resignation two weeks ago, the Deputy Prosecutor for Investigations of the International Criminal Court, will replace Carla Del Ponte as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Though her term ends in September, Del Ponte will likely continue in office until December so that Brammertz can finish his work with the Commission. This is a strong appointment, since the ICTY requires, as it nears the completion of its work, a Chief Prosecutor who can take the reins without the need for on the job training in the doctrinal complexities of international criminal law and the difficult practicalities of international criminal prosecutions.

New Issue: Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht

The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht (Vol. 67, no. 1, 2007) is out. Contents include:

• Helen Keller & Magdalena Forowicz, A New Era for the Supreme Court After Hamdan v. Rumsfeld?
• Jan Scheffler, Das französische Verfassungsverständnis angesichts der Anforderungen des EG/EU-Rechts
• Roberto Lavalle, A Politicized and Poorly Conceived Notion Crying Out for Clarification: The Alleged Need for a Universally Agreed Definition of Terrorism
• Matthias Reuß & Jakob Pichon: The European Union’s Exercise of Jurisdiction Over Classification Societies - An International Law Perspective on the Amendment of the EC “Directive on Common Rules and Standards for Ship Inspection and Survey Organisations and for the Relevant Activities of Maritime Administrations”
• Michael Byers, Internationales Recht und internationale Politik in der Nordwestpassage: Konsequenzen des Klimawandels
• Daniel Pavón Piscitello & Gabriel Eugenio Andrés, The Conflict Between Argentina and Uruguay Concerning the Installation and Commissioning of Pulp Mills Before the International Court of Justice and MERCOSUR
• Livingston Armytage, Justice in Afghanistan - Rebuilding Judicial Competence After the Generation of War
• Jürgen Friedrich, Carbon Capture and Storage: A New Challenge for International Environmental Law
• Maximilian Malirsch & Florian Prill, The Proliferation Security Initiative and the 2005 Protocol to the SUA Convention

New Issue: Revue de Droit International et de Droit Comparé

The latest issue of the Revue de Droit International et de Droit Comparé (Vol. 84, no. 1, 2007) is out. Contents include:

• S.A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh, La personnalité des lois en Turquie et en Egypte
• S. Bechet, Le lieu de l'arbitrage
• R. Nevry, La révocation des dirigeants des sociétés commerciales: droit OHADA, droit français

New Issue: Berkeley Journal of International Law

The latest issue of the Berkeley Journal of International Law (Vol. 25, no. 1, 2007) is out. Contents include:

• David R. Andrews, International Rule of Law Symposium: Introductory Essay
• Katharina Pistor, Advancing the Rule of Law: Report on the International Rule of Law Symposium Convened by the American Bar Association
• Challenges of Promoting the Rule of Law: Opening Remarks
• Condoleezza Rice, Remarks
• Andrew S. Natsios, Remarks
• The Role of the Judiciary: Panel Discussion with United States Supreme Court Justices Participants
• Hillary Rodham Clinton, Remarks
• Launching a Global Rule of Law Movement: Next Steps

Muller, Kalin, & Goldsworth: Anti-Money Laundering: International Law and Practice

Wouter H. Muller (Henley & Partners, Zurich), Christian H. Kälin (Henley & Partners, Zurich), & John G. Goldsworth (Henley & Partners, Jersey) have published Anti-Money Laundering: International Law and Practice (Wiley 2007). Here's the abstract:

Anti-Money Laundering is the definitive reference on money laundering and practice. First an outline will be given of the general approach taken by supra-national organisations like the United Nations and the European Council. Next the approach taken by international organisations and initiatives on the basis of the supra-national initiatives will be outlined by senior members of those organisations. A number of countries will then describe their specific prevention legislation. Countries involved will all be member-countries of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering). Finally there will be an overview to enable the reader to make a comparison between the most important topics of money laundering legislation and rules in the different countries.

Christians: Hard Law and Soft Law in International Taxation

Allison Christians (Wisconsin - Law) has posted Hard Law and Soft Law in International Taxation (Wisc. Int'l L.J., forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

Why do countries follow the rules they do for international taxation? Tax scholarship is increasingly using terms like hard law and soft law to explain the degree of global adherence to various tax practices. In this brief essay, I make the case that terms we use are important because they convey something about how tax norms are being formed and how nations will or should behave in response. Using a term such a customary or soft law may connote a method by which key players working within transnational networks achieve supranationalization of particular tax norms outside of conventional mechanisms (e.g., treaties). As such, the description is an important signal about expectations for participation, inclusiveness, and compliance in the development and diffusion of international tax law.

Wu, Dyson, Froomkin, & Gross: On the Future of Internet Governance

Tim Wu (Columbia - Law), Esther Dyson (founding Chair, ICANN), A. Michael Froomkin (Miami - Law), & David A. Gross (U.S. Dep't of State) have posted On the Future of Internet Governance (Am. Soc'y Int'l L. Proceedings, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

These proceedings represent the perspectives and views of several experts and participants in the Internet Governance and ICANN process of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Call for Papers: Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law

The program committee for the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law is accepting panel proposals. Submissions are due July 9, 2007. The meeting's theme is "The Politics of International Law"; here's the theme statement:

Politics and policy are interwoven with international law. The relationship between the two is reciprocal. While politics influence international law, international law also influences domestic and international politics. Critics contend that international law is really the deployment of power politics, and that resolving disputes under the auspices of international law in a judicialized forum serves only to “launder” the rule of the powerful. Admirers of internationalism and international institutions, on the other hand, contend that the legalization of power has a civilizing effect that leads to some of the most effective forms of law-making, ranging from good governance standards promulgated by the IMF or the World Bank to sanctions imposed under Security Council authority.

Is there international law that stands separate from politics? International institutions, from the WTO to the World Bank, from the ICC to the World Court, are creatures of politics as well as law. The decisions of governments to participate in those organizations or other international law initiatives are often based on domestic politics – one thinks of the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court. Yet the politics of international law are not only a reflection of domestic concerns. As international law becomes more pervasive and intrusive on previously sovereign domains, and as international institutions wield more influence, more people are examining and questioning the politics of those institutions.

The Society’s exploration of the relationship between international law and politics comes at a time of political change. 2007 and 2008 bring elections and potential new leadership in four of the five permanent Security Council member states. What attitudes will these political leaders have towards international law, and what reactions in other leaders will those attitudes provoke? And how will changes in the domestic political landscape of these and other countries affect the future formulation and implementation of international law? The 2008 ASIL Annual Meeting will address these and other related issues in a series of over thirty sessions featuring leading practitioners, scholars, and government officials.

New Issue: International Lawyer

The latest issue of The International Lawyer (Vol. 41, no. 2, Summer 2007) is out. This issue contains the American Bar Association Section of International Law's eleventh annual review of international legal developments, covering the year 2006.

New Issue: Mealey's International Arbitration Report

The latest issue of Mealey's International Arbitration Report (Vol. 22, no. 6, June 2007) is out.

New Volume: Japanese Annual of International Law

The latest volume of The Japanese Annual of International Law (Vol. 49, 2006) is out. Contents include:

• Kaoru Obata, Historical Functions of Monism with Primacy of International Law - A View Based on the Japanese Experience during the Early Period of the Allied Occupation
• Dai Yokomizo, Japanese Blocking Statute against the U.S. Anti-Dumping Act of 1916
• Yoshihiro Masui, Overhaul of the Japan-US Tax Treaty in 2003
• Kazuhiro Nakatani, Bilateral Air Agreements and Japan

New Issue: Journal of International Arbitration

The latest issue of the Journal of International Arbitration (Vol. 24, no. 3, June 2007) is out. Contents include:

• I-Ching Tseng, Factors Affecting the Choice of Dispute Resolution Methods in Japan (with an Emphasis on Arbitration)
• Francisco González de Cossío, The Compétence-Compétence Principle, Revisited
• Alexandr Svetlicinii, Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in the Republic of Moldova - Evolution of the Pro-Arbitration Policy in the Case Law of the Supreme Court of Justice
• Stephan W. Schill, International Investment Law and the Host State's Power to Handle Economic Crises - Comment on the ICSID Decision in LG&E v. Argentina
• Walid Ben Hamida, Two Nebulous ICSID Features: The Notion of Investment and the Scope of Annulment Control - Ad Hoc Committee's Decision in Patrick Mitchell v. Democratic Republic of Congo

Treaty Transmittal: Tax Convention with Belgium

On June 21, the President transmitted a Tax Convention with Belgium (Treaty Doc. 110-3) to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification.

New Issue: Journal of World Trade

The latest issue of the Journal of World Trade (Vol. 41, no. 3, June 2007) is out. Contents include:

• Igor I. Kavass, WTO Accession: Procedure, Requirements and Costs
• Henning M. Grosse & Ruse-Khan, The Role of Chairman's Statements in the WTO
• Yuhong Zhao, Overcoming "Green Barriers": China's First Five Years Into the WTO
• Johan Paul Lindeque, A Firm Perspective of Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duty Cases in the United States
• Won-Mog Choi, Legal Analysis of Korea-ASEAN Regional Trade Integration
• Antonis Antoniadis, Unilateral Measures and WTO Dispute Settlement: An EC Perspective
• Susan Ariel Aaronson, A Match Made in the Corporate and Public Interest: Marrying Voluntary CSR Initiatives and the WTO

New Issue: American University International Law Review

The latest issue of the American University International Law Review (Vol. 22, no. 4, 2007) is out. Contents include:

• Stephen G. Breyer, The Present and Future of the European Court of Human Rights: Introduction of President Luzius Wildhaber
• Luzius Wildhaber, The European Court of Human Rights: The Past, the Present, the Future
• Philippe Kirsch, The Role of the International Criminal Court in Enforcing International Criminal Law
• Daniel B. Garrie & Rebecca Wong, Regulating Voice over Internet Protocol: An E.U./U.S. Comparative Approach
• Sandra L. Hodgkinson, Edward Cook, Thomas Fichter, Christian Fleming, Jonathan Shapiro, Jon Mellis, Brandon Boutelle, Stephen Sarnoski, & Gregory P. Noone, Challenges to Maritime Interception Operations in the War on Terror: Bridging the Gap