International Law Commons^™

Agenda: Indigenous Water Justice Symposium, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment

Indigenous Water Justice Symposium (June 6)

Indigenous peoples throughout the world face diverse and often formidable challenges of what might be termed “water justice.” On one hand, these challenges involve issues of distributional justice that concern Indigenous communities’ relative abilities to access and use water for self-determined purposes. On the other hand, issues of procedural justice are frequently associated with water allocation and management, encompassing fundamental matters like representation within governance entities and participation in decision-making processes. Yet another realm of water justice in which disputes are commonplace relates to the persistence of, and respect afforded to, Indigenous communities’ cultural traditions and values surrounding water—more specifically, …

Sub-Saharan Africa: The Right Of Intervention In The Name Of Humanity, R. H. Payne

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Secession: The Contradicting Provisions Of The United Nations Charter – A Direct Threat To The Current World Order, N. Micheli Quadros

N. Micheli Quadros

The preamble of the United Nations' Charter (hereinafter UN Charter) presents its members declaration under which justice and respect for international law and the international community is supposed to be maintained. To date, the United Nations (UN) has failed to ensure international peace by allowing powerful states to infringe upon other nations’ territorial integrity and manipulate individuals to exercise their right of self-determination.

Outdated, redundant and vague provisions that proved their inefficiency have plagued the UN Charter. Chapter I, Art 1 § 2 of the UN Charter, states that one of the main purpose of the UN is “to develop …

Book Review: The Palestine Yearbook Of International Law. Ed. Al-Shaybani Society Of International Law. Nicosia, Cyprus., Ralph B. Lake

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Self-Determination And Secession Under International Law: The New Framework, Milena Sterio

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

Salman Rushdie, the famous novelist, wrote" Shalimar the Clown": "Why not just stand still and draw a circle round your feet and name that Selfistan?"

Earned Soverignty Revisited: Creating A Strategic Framework For Managing Self-Determination Based Conflicts, Paul R. Williams, Abigail J. Avoryie, Carlie J. Armstrong

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

Self-determination movements are global phenomena that perpetually tug at the strings of a world order based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Scottish Independence Referendum And The Principles Of Democratic Secession, Benjamin Levites

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

On September 18, 2014, Scottish voters decided whether to sever the 307 years of unity between Scotland and the United Kingdom in an independence referendum. While the voters ultimately rejected independence, the process by which the Scots accomplished this historic exercise will inform further democratic secession movements.

This Note examines the significant implications of Scotland’s independence referendum by assessing the history of independence referendums and the present scope of relevant international law. The formative history of the independence referendum and modern precedential examples established the requirements for democratic secession. In turn, the Scottish independence referendum, in the context of evolving …

The Tragedy Of Hong Kong, Richard Klein

Richard Daniel Klein

While the world watched the fireworks and celebrations occurring in Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, a far sadder event was, in fact, unfolding. The people of Hong Kong, most of whom had originally fled from China -- the country which was now taking over -- have simply never experienced the basic human right of self-determination. Rule was shifting from a colonial power which had denied the people of Hong Kong their basic human rights for virtually all of its 155-year administration, to a country which, immediately upon assuming sovereignty, made it clear that democracy would remain but a dream.

Misplaced Boldness: The Avoidance Of Substance In The International Court Of Justice's Kosovo Opinion, Timothy W. Waters

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The International Court of Justice's Kosovo Advisory Opinion is a masterpiece of avoidance. The Court has lived to run another day, and one can only admire the judges' skill in arriving at the vacant place between difficult and clashing conclusions of substance. Still, in the wake of the Opinion, questions inevitably arise: Of what use is this document? Has it advanced a project of justice, or of law? The Opinion has done something, though not, perhaps, what it purports to do. To understand it, we must engage this cautious, crimped document in its full context-or rather, we must understand the …

Resolution Of Claims To Self-Determination: The Expansion And Creation Of Dispute Settlement Mechanisms, Valerie Epps

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

My task is three fold. I shall first give a very brief introduction to the topic of self-determination within the general jurisprudence of the proliferation of international dispute settlement mechanisms.

The Imprint Of Kosovo On International Law, Diane F. Orentlicher

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

In several respects, international responses to recent developments in Kosovo have had a significant- in some respects, profound - impact on international law

Indeterminate Claims: New Challenges To Self-Determination Doctrine In Yugoslavia, Timothy W. Waters

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Serbia has two autonomous provinces, with nearly identical constitutional and political claims: heavily Albanian Kosovo and ethnically diverse but Serb-majority Vojvodina. One is headed towards some form of internationally recognized independence; the other almost certainly is not, even though calls for its autonomy have been mounting. What makes the difference?

This article examines what the reasons for these different outcomes show about the changing content of self-determination in an environment of persistent ethnic claims. The defining characteristic of self-determination today is its indeterminacy, which allows policymakers to pursue a broader range of policies than was possible in the era of …

The New Dynamics Of Self-Determination, Valerie Epps

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

The term self-determination still teeters on the borders of evolving legal precept, expression of political will, and universal human aspiration. The concept never quite settles down into a black letter law pronouncement or a clearly understood political dynamic.

Self-Determination: An Affirmative Right Or Mere Rhetoric?, Halim Moris

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

Yves Beigbeder, an international scholar, once asked, "If self-determination is an internationally recognized principle, why does it not apply to the people of West Iran, East Timor, Tibet, Kashmir and other territories, as it has been applied to other colonial territories?

The Tragedy Of Hong Kong, Richard Klein

Scholarly Works

While the world watched the fireworks and celebrations occurring in Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, a far sadder event was, in fact, unfolding. The people of Hong Kong, most of whom had originally fled from China -- the country which was now taking over -- have simply never experienced the basic human right of self-determination. Rule was shifting from a colonial power which had denied the people of Hong Kong their basic human rights for virtually all of its 155-year administration, to a country which, immediately upon assuming sovereignty, made it clear that democracy would remain but a dream.

What The Principle Of Self-Determination Means Today, Mitchell A. Hill

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

The right of all peoples to self-determination has been one of the most vigorously promoted and widely accepted contemporary norms of international law. There is no clear consensus, however, as to what the meaning and content of that right is, and it has gained the distinction of "being one of the most confused expressions in the lexicon of international relations.

Self-Determination In The Post-Cold War Era: A New Internal Focus?, Gregory H. Fox

Michigan Journal of International Law

Review of International Monitoring of Plebiscites, Referenda and National Elections: Self-Determination and Transition to Democracy by Yves Beigbeder