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Crumbs From The Table: The Syrophoenician Woman And International Law, Mark Chinen
Crumbs From The Table: The Syrophoenician Woman And International Law, Mark Chinen
Mark A. Chinen
In this Article I consider a story from the New Testament for what it might say to international law. A woman of Syrophoenician origin, whose daughter is possessed by an evil spirit, asks Jesus for help. Jesus protests, “First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” The woman replies, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Jesus is impressed by this reply and tells the woman her daughter is well. The way in which the story unfolds is …
Matters Of Preference: Tracing The Line Between Citizens, Democratic States, And International Law, Mark A. Chinen
Matters Of Preference: Tracing The Line Between Citizens, Democratic States, And International Law, Mark A. Chinen
Mark A. Chinen
In this Article, we assess the role the aggregation of citizen preferences into the foreign policy choices of a democratic country might play in the legitimization of international law. After addressing some of the theoretical and empirical issues associated with such an approach, we use an anticipated reaction model developed by Michael Bailey to show that even in large democracies there are mechanisms through which citizen preferences can be and are reflected in the policy choices of their representatives. Incumbents and candidates for office take policy positions in hopes of maximizing their future election chances. Although policymakers each have their …