International Law Commons^™

A Tale Of Two Subject-To-Tax Rules, Sol Picciotto, Jeffery M. Kadet, Bob Michel

Articles

In this article, we analyze and compare two proposals for a new subject-to-tax rule (STTR) provision to be included in tax treaties, one from the U.N. Tax Committee and the other from the G20/OECD inclusive framework on base erosion and profit shifting. The U.N. proposal is broad, and would clarify that restrictions in tax treaties on taxation of income at the source where it is derived are conditional on that income being taxed at an agreed-upon minimum rate in the country where it is received. The inclusive framework version is much more limited, being confined to payments between connected entities …

Evolving Sovereignty Relationships Between Affiliated Jurisdictions: Lessons For Native American Jurisdictions, Vaughan Carter, Charlotte Ku, Andrew P. Morriss

Faculty Scholarship

Though sovereignty is principally associated with governance over a territory and freedom to act in the international arena, this article examines sovereignty as empowerment. The study tests the applicability to Native American jurisdictions of the experiences of fifteen case study jurisdictions presently associated with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France in shared sovereign relationships. The focus is on the evolution of those relationships and opportunities for development where jurisdictions do not attain full control over their affairs. The case studies examine the relationships from the perspectives of political, economic, and cultural sovereignty. The article further examines the relationships in …

Indigenous Peoples, Land Grabs In Brazil, And The Fight For Official Recognition, Christian Zavardino

CICLR Online

In recent years, the Indigenous peoples of Brazil have fought a host of legal obstacles to maintain sovereignty over their traditional ancestral lands, in large part owing to the policy imperatives of successive presidential administrations and Congresses that have favored agribusiness interests and commercial development of Brazil’s interior regions at the expense of the Indigenous peoples who live in these areas. The Brazilian Constitution of 1988 guarantees Brazil’s Indigenous peoples legal recognition of their ancestral lands via the “land demarcation” or “official land recognition” process, providing that the federal government shall recognize “their original rights to the lands they traditionally …

Exiting The Disaster, Evading The Responsibility? Wadi Al-Qamar -- The Moon Valley, Suzan Nada

Perspectives

This essay explores a case that delivered no results for the complainants, where harm was not prevented, and where stakeholders who filed the complaint were not compensated. Investigated by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Wadi al-Qamar case illustrates some of the limitations of accountability mechanisms in limiting the harms caused directly or indirectly by projects in which the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) invest.

Legal Risk And Accountability In Development Finance: Lessons From Jam V. International Finance Corporation, Michelle Harrison, Shannon Marcoux

Perspectives

In a landmark decision in 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Jam v. International Finance Corporation that international organizations like the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private lending arm of the World Bank Group, can be sued in U.S. courts, ending the “absolute immunity” from suit that they had long claimed. The Jam lawsuit arose out of IFC’s gross mishandling of the Tata Mundra coal-fired power plant project in Gujarat, India, which has destroyed the livelihoods, environment, and way of life of local communities living in its shadow. The lawsuit, and especially the clash between IFC’s sweeping assertions of …

Imf Human Rights Accountability: A Pragmatic Way To Break The Deadlock, Aldo Caliari

Perspectives

In the three decades since the 1993 establishment of the World Bank Inspection Panel, almost all development finance institutions (DFIs) have established analogous panels, ombudsperson offices or other independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) to allow people who believe they have been harmed by the DFI’s activities to directly trigger processes of fact-finding, dispute resolution, and, if applicable, redress. The primary exception has been the International Monetary Fund.

World Bank's Roadmap And The Inspection Panel's Human Rights Responsibilities, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, C.P. Chandrasekhar

Perspectives

The World Bank has been under pressure to devise a process for “evolving” its mission, operations, and resources, acknowledging that decades of engagement with low- and middle-income countries has resulted, paradoxically and contrary to its official mission, in a “crisis of development.” The Bank bluntly notes in the opening to its paper “Evolving the World Bank Group’s Mission, Operations, and Resources: A Roadmap,” issued in December 2022, “after decades of progress, growth and poverty reduction have stalled.” Indeed, this “crisis of development” threatens to unleash political instability around the world.

Putin Skirts The Icc: The Invasion Of Ukraine And The Symbolic Power Of International Law, Corbin Gregg

CICLR Online

Much can be said about the role of international law in shaping the behavior of states and leaders. Often maligned, international organizations face criticism from those who wish to see them do more: punish human rights violations, sanction aggressive state actors, and prevent wars of aggression. While these are overall purported goals of international organizations, the way they attempt to effectuate change is sometimes unclear. Nowhere is this more true than the way the international organizations have reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on December 26, …

Testing The Boundaries Of Torture: Forced Circumcision As A Crime Against Humanity, Marina Coriale

CICLR Online

Female genital mutilation (FGM) has history that extends across countless cultures and regions, impacting women and girls around the world still searching for redress and reparations. Knowing this, the international community should understand the necessity of providing a space for FGM survivors in the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on December 4, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

A Comparative Analysis Of The Animal Protection Laws In The United States And Switzerland, Kelly Ziyu Xia

CICLR Online

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” This statement underlines the significance of how a society cares for those under its dominion, particularly those who are defenseless. Animal welfare laws vary widely across the globe, reflecting the diverse approaches taken by different countries to protect the interests of animals. While the United States has made commendable strides, the current legal framework for animal protection remains inadequate. Both Switzerland and the United States have federal laws that aim to protect animal welfare, but …

Applicants Beware: Chinese Trademark Fraud Is Rampant, And It Is Affecting U.S. Trademarks, Lily Barash

CICLR Online

If you are looking to file a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), you should raise your vigilance. When the COVID-19 pandemic sent people in the United States into emergency lockdown, brick and mortar businesses closed their doors and people started opening their minds. People found new, and more, ways to be creative and e-commerce began to boom. With budding ideas, creators and companies recognized the imperativeness of protecting their intellectual property. The USPTO announced that as of June 17, 2021, it had experienced an increase of roughly 63% in trademark applications filed over the …

Out Of The Shadows: The Need For Increased Scrutiny Of Shadow Banking In China, Benson M. Clements

CICLR Online

Zhongrong International Trust Co., a Chinese investment trust with significant real estate exposure, has missed payments on dozens of corporate trust products since late July. Retail investors are left with frustration and panic as they fear they may have lost their life savings. Regulators are concerned they may have to further tame an already faltering economy. It may be time to question the free reign with which shadow banks have enjoyed for decades.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on November 14, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link …

Writer V. Big Pharma: How John Green, Author And Youtuber, Fought The Evergreening Of A Drug Patent, Rachel Bier

CICLR Online

Tuberculosis (TB), an illness caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the deadliest disease in human history. In the 1950s and 1960s, scientists developed several drugs that could treat TB. These developments meant that TB became a curable disease. However, TB remains a terrible epidemic in poor communities around the world. About 4,000 people die from TB every day, with over eighty percent of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on November 9, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button …

Higher Wages In A High Inflation World: What The United States Can Learn From Icelandic Unionization, Jack Berroug

CICLR Online

Since March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire world, inflation has slowly been on the rise. OECD countries across the globe immediately felt the effects of inflation and despite the increase in wages amongst workers globally, inflation outpaced nominal wage growth for many countries. Over the past couple years, many of the capitalist OECD countries have dealt with inflation in various ways with varying degrees of success. One capitalist country in particular has kept up with real wage growth despite inflation: Iceland. Iceland is the most unionized country in the world with 90 percent of its workplace …

From Maritime Pushbacks To Naval Blockade: How Europe Is Drowning In Legal Pitfalls, Martine Bjørnstad

CICLR Online

As if haunted by the past, the headlines are once again filled with cautionary tales of Europe’s unsecure borders and looming migration crisis. The arrival of 11,000 migrants on the Italian island of Lampedusa in early September, amidst deadlocked negotiations over the European Union’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, has again sparked debate in Europe about how to tackle illegal immigration from North Africa. The proposed solution that has perhaps drawn the most attention is that of a naval blockade.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on October 25, 2023. The original …

Island States Turn To The Law To Fight Climate Change, Adam Auerbach

CICLR Online

The sea is rising. 2023 has seen the highest annual average sea level in recorded history, with sea level measuring four inches above 1993 levels. To many, this may seem inconsequential. However, for those in developing countries, particularly small island nations, rising sea levels present a very real, very pressing threat. For these island countries, the danger of losing their statehood and sovereignty is all too real “as their land surface may be totally covered by the sea or become fully inhabitable” in the near future.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on …

Collaboration, Exclusion, And Refuge: Ftx’S Cross-Border Insolvency Strategies, Ethan Ashley

CICLR Online

The recent collapse of FTX and ensuing insolvency proceedings in the United States has stoked conversation regarding the administration of cross-border cryptocurrency insolvencies. In the case of FTX, insolvency proceedings in the United States, Australia, Turkey, and the Bahamas have demonstrated an unprecedented global footprint for a cryptocurrency exchange. As a result, these proceedings will have long-lasting impacts and may serve as a road map for how regulators and administrators can cooperate and navigate competing regulatory pressures and proceedings in the future.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on October 2, 2023. The …

Twenty Years After Krieger V Law Society Of Alberta: Law Society Discipline Of Crown Prosecutors And Government Lawyers, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Krieger v. Law Society of Alberta held that provincial and territorial law societies have disciplinary jurisdiction over Crown prosecutors for conduct outside of prosecutorial discretion. The reasoning in Krieger would also apply to government lawyers. The apparent consensus is that law societies rarely exercise that jurisdiction. But in those rare instances, what conduct do Canadian law societies discipline Crown prosecutors and government lawyers for? In this article, I canvass reported disciplinary decisions to demonstrate that, while law societies sometimes discipline Crown prosecutors for violations unique to those lawyers, they often do so for violations applicable to all lawyers — particularly …

Beyond The North–South Divide: Litigation's Role In Resolving Climate Change Loss And Damage Claims, Maria Antonia Tigre, Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Within the international climate regime, legal aspects surrounding loss and damage (L&D) are contentious topics, implicating liability, compensation and notions of vulnerability. The attribution of responsibility and the pursuit of redress for L&D present intricate legal and governance challenges. The ongoing debates under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are characterized by a pronounced North–South divide and have done little to provide tangible support to those most affected by L&D. This apparent neglect has prompted exploration of alternative avenues for climate harm redress. The burgeoning field of litigation for liability and compensation of climate harm holds potential significance …

Future-Proofing U.S. Laws For War Crimes Investigations In The Digital Era, Rebecca Hamilton

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

Advances in information technology have irrevocably changed the nature of war crimes investigations. The pursuit of accountability for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community now invariably requires access to digital evidence. The global reach of platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter means that much of that digital evidence is held by U.S. social media companies, and access to it is subject to the U.S. Stored Communications Act.

This is the first Article to look at the legal landscape facing international investigators seeking access to digital evidence regarding genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. It …

A Further Look At A Hague Convention On Concurrent Proceedings, Paul Herrup, Ronald A. Brand

Articles

The current project of the Hague Conference on Private International Law has reached a critical juncture that requires careful consideration of the terms that delineate the scope of the proposed convention. Work to date has not followed the mandate of the Council on General Affairs and Policy to produce a convention that would deal with concurrent proceedings, understood as including pure parallel proceedings and related actions. In two previous articles we have addressed the practical needs that should be addressed by the concurrent proceedings project and the general architecture of such a convention. The process is now mired in terminological …

Romano Named A Rumsfeld Graduate Fellow, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

James Romano’s interests are out of this world. The 2L at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law is intrigued by the futuristic sounding concept of space law, but is quick to note that there’s nothing futuristic about it.

“More private companies are rapidly entering space,” Romano said, “and I’m deeply interested in the question of ‘What does the future of space look like?’”

While Romano’s focus may be directed upward, his trajectory on Earth is quickly ascending.

Romano is one of 14 scholars selected as a Rumsfeld Foundation Graduate Fellow for 2023-24. The fellowships, named in honor of the …

Hiding Art In Freeports, Wendy Li

CICLR Online

In Tenet, one of Christopher Nolan’s time and reality bending movies, we are introduced to freeports. Robert Pattinson’s character, Neil, must steal something from a freeport and in a few scenes, through his time in the freeport’s vaults, we learn a bit on why freeports exist and what people store in them. In a tour, the guide tells Neil that clients can store anything in the freeports and the vault that they walk through holds expensive collections of paintings and artifacts. The items are “shipp[ed] to and from other freeports without customs inspection.” From there, we are brought on a …

Inspiration For How The Doj Can Handle Its Antitrust Investigation Against Ticketmaster, Brandon Simon

CICLR Online

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me” is not something Ticketmaster would have anticipated Congress would mandate it to admit about itself, but that all changed after its botched sale of tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming U.S. stadium tour.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on May 2, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

Prosecuting Gender Persecution At The Icc: Definitions, Policies, And Practice, Milena Sterio, Yvonne Dutton

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article's primary goal is to highlight the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP)'s Gender Persecution Policy, while also demonstrating its place in the trajectory of the ICC's progress in changing the course of human history as relates to the recognition of and prosecution of sexual and gender-based (SGBV) crimes. To that end, some background is necessary to contextualize the ICC's current policy and practice as relates to the crime of gender persecution. Part II discusses the Rome Statute's unique contributions to the development of international criminal law regarding SGBV crimes, including the crime of gender persecution. …

Consumers' Perceptions Of Digital Privacy In The United States And Japan, Destiny Randle

Whittier Scholars Program

The purpose of my study is to explore the contours of contemporary consumer privacy protections derived from legislation, regulations and publicly available company policies as a way to get a better understanding of how consumer data is protected. A few examples ranging from company-based consumer protection in the United States to data breaches in Japan will be explored and examined. Finally, this paper includes a comparative survey of consumer perceptions and concerns related to personal data privacy in the U.S. and Japan. As a way to assess the degree to which digital privacy and personal data breaches have adversely influenced …

An Outlook On Whether Competition In High-Voltage Transmission Line Development Is Necessary?, Andrew Leahy

CICLR Online

Various concerns, such as climate change, supply issues, and bad actors with vast energy resources, have increased global interest in increasing power grid security and efficiency. One method to increase power grid security and efficiency that has gained popularity is using high-voltage powerlines, cables transporting energy over long distances with minimal power losses along the route. The People’s Republic of China has been at the forefront of implementing high-voltage powerlines within its borders. For example, the Changji-to-Guquan project, which began in 2019, consists of a 1,100-kV direct current line spanning 2,046 miles, “roughly the distance between Los Angeles and Cleveland.” …

Election Fraud In Romania, Mara Nicole Chiriac

CICLR Online

Election fraud is a severe issue that has plagued Romania's political system for decades. The electoral process in Romania has been affected by a variety of fraudulent conduct, from suspicions of vote buying to cases of ballot stuffing. This is a significant issue that must be addressed to safeguard the future of the democratic process in Romania and the integrity of its elections.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on April 27, 2023. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

The Current State Of Art Restitution Laws, Emily Carbali

CICLR Online

New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is currently in litigation regarding the Blue Period painting “Women Ironing” by Pablo Picasso. The painting was originally owned by Karl Adler and his wife Rosi Jacobi. Their heirs filed a suit in New York Supreme Court last week arguing that the painting would not have been sold but for the owner’s duress due to Nazi persecution. The family seeks return of the painting or compensation at the painting’s current market value, estimated at up to $200 million.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on April 25, …

Understanding China's Cryptocurrency Stance: Analysis Of The Recent Developments And Future Prospects, Zhengchun Wan

CICLR Online

In September 2021, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, in conjunction with nine other state bodies, including the police and the supreme court, issued a statement regarding the country’s stance on cryptocurrency businesses. There, regulators have explicitly stated that all cryptocurrency trading, exchanges, and investments—both crypto-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat—are prohibited, whether they are carried out through domestic or international platforms. Despite China’s official strong hostilities toward cryptocurrencies, some believe the policy might change soon.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on April 24, 2023. The original post can be accessed via …