Law Commons^™

The Globalizing State, Alfred C. Aman, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

he primary purpose of this Article is to consider the relationship of globalization to domestic law, a topic that, for the most part, has been neglected by the legal literature to date. In so doing, this Article shall develop the concept of the globalizing state, a theory of the state based on states' new roles in furthering global competitiveness, as well as the transformative effects of these new roles on the state itself. This Article refers to globalization as an interpretive approach to issues no longer classifiable--or even understandable--in terms of classic dichotomies of domestic and global, public and private, …

The European Union's Common Foreign And Security Policy: It Is Not Far From Maastricht To Amsterdam, Daniel T. Murphy

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The radical shift in and expansion of the concepts of European law wrought by the now more than five-year-old Treaty on European Union (TEU) are not fully appreciated in the United States. Until the TEU of 1992, European law was bounded by the reasonably well-defined and understood contours of the Treaty of Rome and its amendments. The expressly political TEU added new dimensions to European law, the relationships among the Member States, and the scope of activities to be pursued by the European Union. This expansion was accomplished through, among other provisions, (1) the TEU's monetary union provisions; (2) its …

From Patchwork To Network: Strategies For International Intellectual Property In Flux, Paul E. Geller

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Laws of intellectual property define what is bought and sold on media and technology markets, notably works, trademarks, and inventions. Laws and treaties have traditionally been made and enforced by nation-states operating in a patchwork of territories. Now, the media and technology marketplace is being globalized in digital networks. The law is only beginning to respond to this change.

To analyze this process in the field of intellectual property, this Article will consider the following questions: First, how is the patchwork of national laws lagging behind new networks in this field? Second, how does the international regime of intellectual property …

Teen Prostitution In Japan: Regulation Of Telephone Clubs, Andrew D. Morrison

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The history of prostitution in Japan may be traced to the eighth century. Originally, prostitutes carried on their trade individually and independently. Around the thirteenth century, however, the nature of prostitution changed, as prostitutes formed small enterprises located in red-light districts. By the seventeenth century, red-light districts existed throughout Japan.

In 1900, the Japanese government, realizing the widespread proliferation of the prostitution industry, passed the Regulation for Control of Prostitutes. The law regulated prostitution nationwide by requiring prostitutes to register with local government authorities and to undergo regular health inspections. This system continued until the end of World War Two, …

Predicting The Effect Of Italy's Long-Awaited Rape Law Reform On "The Land Of Machismo", Amy J. Everhart

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In 1996, the Italian Parliament enacted a new rape law, replacing a law written in 1936 under the direction of Fascist-era leader Benito Mussolini. While the old law classified rape as a crime against public morality, the new law declares it a crime against the person. That it took sixty years to reform the law is a reflection of Italy's long history of subordinating its women. That the law has finally been reformed is a reflection that those women have united to change that attitude. This Note discusses the history of the rape law in Italy and the role of …

Between Iraq And A Hard Place: The U.N. Compensation Commission And Its Treatment Of Gulf War Claims, Lea C. Owen

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) was formed in 1991 to address claims against Iraq arising out of the Gulf War. In its seven years of operation, the UNCC has received 2.6 million claims, with an asserted value of more than $244 billion. It has processed 2.4 million of these claims, for a total of $6 billion, and it has paid to victims more than $730 million. Despite these accomplishments, the UNCC has much left to do, and its efforts have been burdened by Iraq's post-war refusal to meet its treaty obligations. The UNCC now faces waning political support from …

The Vienna Convention On Consular Relations: A Study Of Rights, Wrongs, And Remedies, William J. Aceves

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article reviews U.S. compliance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the ability of foreign governments to seek redress for treaty violations in federal courts. The Vienna Convention requires signatory states to notify detained foreign nationals of their right to consular access. While the United States has sought to ensure that foreign governments comply with the provisions of the Vienna Convention when they detain U.S. citizens abroad, it has failed to ensure that foreign nationals are provided with comparable protection when they are detained in the United States.

The Author examines several cases in which both foreign nationals …

Secrets And Lies? Swiss Banks And International Human Rights, Anita Ramasastry

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article explores the relationship of Swiss banks and their tradition of bank secrecy to the activities of a particular group of depositors: war criminals and other human rights violators. The Article focuses on litigation brought in U.S. courts by plaintiffs seeking access to Swiss bank deposits made by the Nazis and Ferdinand Marcos. The Article examines the possibility of holding banks accountable under international law for assisting a customer who has committed a serious breach of international law. Part I introduces the role of bank secrecy in the current litigation. Part II describes the Swiss tradition of bank secrecy. …

Ireland's Divorce Bill: Traditional Irish And International Norms Of Equality And Bodily Integrity At Issue In A Domestic Abuse Context, Anthony T. Barnes

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

On November 24, 1995, the Irish population voted to ease Ireland's constitutional ban on divorce by means of a constitutional amendment. The new amendment and the bill that effectuates it give Irish citizens a limited legal right to end their marriages for the first time in Ireland's history. The limits surrounding Irish divorce consist of a significant waiting period, a living-apart requirement, and a slant toward mediation.

This Note explores the predicaments of abused spouses and the unique risks that Ireland's divorce limitations pose to spousal abuse victims seeking to end their marriages. This Note argues that the limitations of …

The Doctrine Of Specialty: An Argument For A More Restrictive Rauscher Interpretation After State V. Pang, Hugh C. Thatcher

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note examines how U.S. courts have weakened the specialty doctrine in treaty-based extradition to the United States. Although courts have consistently paid lip service to its vitality, the doctrine of a specialty has often been set aside to allow prosecution for additional offenses. This Note examines the primary line of inquiry that has been used by courts to interpret the doctrine, and suggests that it is incorrect. A correct interpretation of the doctrine requires a presumption that the extradited person may not be charged with additional offenses. Part II of this Note will outline the doctrine of specialty and …

A New Miranda For Foreign Nationals?, James A. Deeken

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note will explore the conflict between federalism expressed in the U.S. Constitution and the demands that international treaties, entered into by the federal government, make on local governments. Part I will explain the current state of the issues addressed in the Note, including the Vienna Convention, and the relevant provisions relating to the arrests of foreign nationals. The Note will then examine whether, given that international treaties have been interpreted as providing rights and provisions that are only enforceable by countries, a private party, such as a foreign national, has the power to invoke the provisions in his defense …

Malaysia's Censorship Regime Collides With The Economic Realities Of The Twenty-First Century, Aaron D. Davidson

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Despite an extensive history of censorship and political speech suppression, Malaysia's Vision 2020 goal of becoming a fully developed nation requires the nation to facilitate an open exchange of ideas and information. The government seeks to create a center for broadcasting, filmmaking, and the development of multimedia products. While Malaysia has begun to abandon some of its censorship practices, the remaining restrictions on its citizens' speech and press freedoms threaten to hamstring the country's efforts to become a fully developed nation by 2020.

This Note discusses Malaysia's beginning as a British colony, identifying the religious, racial, and class distinctions now …

Language And The Globalization Of The Economic Market: The Regulation Of Language As A Barrier To Free Trade, Stacy A. Feld

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The European Union has devoted recent efforts to establishing an integrated global economy, free of barriers or hindrances, primarily through Article 30 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community, the central free movement of goods principle. By eliminating barriers to free trade, the European Union seeks to achieve a single globalized economy among its Member States. Not surprisingly, economic globalization in the European Union has given rise to an integration of political and cultural values among European nations. As a result of this "convergence of values," Member States have responded by enacting protectionist measures that reassert their regulatory autonomy over …

Pierre Goes Online: Blacklisting And Secondary Boycotts In U.S. Trade Policy, Peter L. Fitzgerald

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The extraterritorial application of U.S. economic sanctions and trade controls is a perennial topic of discussion among international trade practitioners and a frequent cause for concern abroad. While long present in one form or another as part of several U.S. trade and export control programs, there has been a resurgence in the use of unilateral extraterritorial trade regulation by the United States following the unraveling of widespread international consensus on who should be the targets for such controls and sanctions as a result of the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the demise of the international Coordinating Committee on Multilateral …

Mandating English Proficiency For College Instructors: States' Responses To "The Ta Problem", Kenneth King

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note examines the background, provisions, effects, and constitutionality of state legislation mandating English proficiency assessment for college instructors. Such legislation responds to complaints about the comprehensibility of international instructors--particularly teaching assistants--at U.S. colleges and universities. U.S. universities employ large numbers of international instructors in scientific, technical, and business fields. Such employment is only one aspect of a broader U.S. importation of scientific and technical talent. This Note first considers the background and legitimacy of complaints about international instructors, and then examines the background and details of specific state provisions. It discusses the statutes' effects and particular concerns they raise, …

The Human Rights To Food, Medicine And Medical Supplies, And Freedom From Arbitrary And Inhumane Detention And Controls In Sri Lanka, Jordan J. Paust

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Essay identifies the denial of adequate and available food and the denials of adequate medicine and medical supplies in Sri Lanka as serious human rights violations. Additionally, the Author cites customary international law and international agreements to support his conclusion that the government's denial of these necessities in Sri Lanka constitute war crimes. The Author discusses the human rights violations with respect to: (1) the right to adequate food; (2) the right to adequate medicine and medical supplies; and (3) the right to freedom from arbitrary and inhumane detention and controls. The Author concludes by urging that the U.S. …

Transnational Bribery Of Foreign Officials: A New Threat To The Future Of Democracy, Julie B. Nesbit

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Anti-corruption movements around the world have set the stage for a comprehensive attack on transnational bribery. The Organization of American States adopted the first convention to criminalize transnational bribery in 1996, and efforts by the OECD to address the issue culminated in the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, which was signed by the representative Ministers in November 1997, and is expected to enter into force by 1999. While these developments are promising, they offer only a partial solution to a complex problem. Transnational bribery will persist until a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy, based on …

More Turbulence Ahead: A Bumpy Ride During U.S.-Japanese Aviation Talks Exemplifies The Need For A Pragmatic Course In Future Aviation Negotiations, Derek Lick

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note analyzes the U.S.-Japanese aviation agreement and the negotiations that led to its signing. More specifically, it examines how the parties involved--including U.S. airline carriers who disagreed as to how the United States should proceed--influenced the negotiation process. Part II of the Note focuses on the current U.S. policy of expanding open skies when negotiating bilateral aviation treaties with foreign countries. Part III looks at the U.S.-Japanese aviation market and its importance for U.S. airlines. Part IV examines how the Japanese government successfully used its strategic placement in the Asian market to avoid U.S. efforts to impose an open …

Intervention And Joinder As Of Right In International Arbitration, S. I. Strong

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

For the purpose of this Article, an existing party is said to have a claim to join a third party into an arbitration as of right when (1) in the third party's absence, complete relief cannot be accorded among those already parties to the arbitration or (2) the third party asserts an interest relating to the subject of the arbitration and is so situated that the disposition of the arbitration in the third party's absence may (a) as a practical matter impair or impede the third party's ability to protect that interest or (b) leave any of the persons already …

Private Religious Choice In German And American Constitutional Law: Government Funding And Government Religious Speech, Ingrid B. Wuerth

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

We will never face Germany's specific problems of religion and government, arising as they do from its particular history. The sharply contested religion cases from Germany in the late 1990s do, however, point to problems with our growing reliance on private religious choice analysis that demand our attention in both government funding and speech cases. To understand the problems of funding religious groups in neutral programs, we must back up and ask the foundational question: what goals may the government pursue with its funding? The broader those goals are defined, the greater the potential distortion of private religious choice, through …

The Relevance Of The Concepts Of War And Armed Conflict To The Law Of Neutrality, Georgios C. Petrochilos

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The law of neutrality applies among states engaged in war and third states seeking to maintain friendly relations with the belligerent states. While belligerent parties possess belligerent rights, including those in the Law of Prize, states deemed neutral must fulfill certain neutral duties. In exchange, neutral states enjoy the protection afforded to neutral parties by the law of neutrality.

The Article focuses on the state of affairs that triggers application of the law of neutrality. The law addressing this issue leaves many questions unanswered. This Article addresses the importance of the declaration of war by belligerent states in assessing whether …

God, Labor, And The Law: The Pursuit Of Religious Equality In Northern Ireland's Workforce, Jane H. Thorpe

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In Northern Ireland, a Catholic man is twice as likely to be unemployed as his Protestant counterpart. This employment differential can be attributed directly to the religious sectarianism that has plagued Northern Ireland for almost 400 years. Traditionally, the Protestant community has used economic rights and employment opportunities to maintain its power and authority over the Catholic community. Resolution of this employment differential would be a key step toward achieving peace and unity in Northern Ireland; however, no progress can be made toward this goal until both communities share economic benefits and hardships. In 1989, the British Parliament passed the …

Removing The Venom From The Snakehead: Japan's Newest Attempt To Control Chinese Human Smuggling, Ian Peck

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note examines Japan's 1997 Amendment to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act as a response to illegal Chinese immigration. Part II of the Note identifies and explains the international human smuggling crisis. Part III examines Sino-Japanese human smuggling. Finally, Part IV analyzes the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in detail and suggests some of the Act's shortcomings.

The Future Of The World Health Organization: What Role For International Law?, David P. Fidler

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article has tried to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of international law in WHO's future. Whether WHO realizes it, international law has had and will continue to have effects on international health policy. In the future, WHO has a choice: It can continue to act as if international law plays no role in global public health or it can build the commitment and capacity needed to integrate international law into its endeavors and into the creation of global health jurisprudence. Building such commitment and capacity will not resurrect WHO to its past glories, but they may very …