International Law Commons^™

The Ethics Of The International Display Of Fashion In The Museum, Felicia Caponigri

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

First, the article engages with the crucial question of how fashion is cultural heritage, or, at least, how fashion can be considered a part of the ICOM Code’s definition of heritage, and therefore within the scope of the minimum ethical standards it sets forth for its members and potentially for museums at large. Second, the article presents the ICOM Code, contextualizing it within the ICOM’s framework as a nongovernmental international public interest organization, and examines how the ICOM Code is a source of general principles of international law. As part of this section, the article also highlights how one of …

The Night Café Redux: A Study Of Sordidness, From Arles To The U.S. Courts, Allan Gerson

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

[T]o shed some light on the uncertainty that continues to surround The Night Café’s rightful ownership. Unfortunately, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals’ unpublished ruling, issued on October 20, 2015, that only adds to that uncertainty.

International Hurdles In Nazi-Era And Russian Revolution Cultural Property Cases, Jennifer Anglim Kreder

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

The FSIA, however, did not do away with the common law act of state doctrine, which is another hurdle plaintiffs must overcome. Under the act of state doctrine, U.S. courts decline to hear suits challenging the acts of another sovereign in its own territory. This doctrine, too, is grounded in flexible principles of international comity. This essay discusses both the FSIA and the act of state doctrine in the context of cases seeking to recover art and cultural property taken during the Nazi-era and Russian Revolution after providing necessary historical background.

Falling Short For Labor: Why The Trans-Pacific Partnership Does Not Do Enough For Workers' Rights, And Evaluating Better Options, Judd Cohen

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Using free trade agreements to increase labor standards in developing countries has not worked. Although most critics focus on lack of enforcement by the U.S., the real problem is the inherent tension between using free trade to make money, and spending money to improve labor standards. If the U.S. were to enforce labor standards, it would destroy the gains from free trade, which is why there is no incentive for developed countries to enforce the agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the latest example of a U.S. free trade agreement that does not address the tension between trade and labor. This …

War And Passion: Who Keeps The Art?, Margaret M. Miles

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Here, I would like to recall how and where ideas about repatriation, restitution, and proper ownership of art got started, a subject I have explored in detail elsewhere.

Blood Antiquities: Addressing A Culture Of Impunity In The Antiquities Market, Paul R. Williams, Christin Coster

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

For decades, parties to conflicts have used the cover of war to destroy and loot cultural property and antiquities for financial gain and symbolic victory. The "blood antiquities" excavated in conflict areas and sold mostly in western markets fuel not only continued conflict, but also (as in cases such as Syria and Iraq) terrorism that can reach around the world. The culture of impunity for both buyers and sellers of antiquities allows the blood-antiquities trade to thrive. A robust international legal framework does exist to ensure accountability for the destruction of cultural heritage. Because looting is a major cause of …

Klatsky Endowed Lecture, Presented By The U.N. High Commissioner For Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

A speech that discusses the quest for global justice through monitoring, factfinding and reporting injustices such as torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, sexual violence, slavery, murder, and discrimination.

Property As Prophesy: Legal Realism And The Indeterminancy Of Ownership, John Humbach

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Property law, like all law, is indeterminate. This means that ownership itself is indeterminate and every owner is vulnerable to challenges based on unexpected legal rules or newly created ones. Even the most seemingly secure rights can be defeated or compromised if a clever-enough lawyer is retained to mount a challenge. The casebooks used in first-year property courses are full of examples. In the case of particularly valuable property, such as works of art, the motivation to fashion arguments to support ownership challenges is obvious. Short and strictly interpreted statutes of limitations can mitigate the risks to ownership by cabining …

Individual Criminal Responsibility For The Destruction Of Religious And Historic Buildings: The Al Mahdi Case, Milena Sterio

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, also known as Abon Tourab, was a member of the radical Islamic group Ansar Eddine, serving as one of four commanders during its brutal occupation of Timbuktu in 2012. The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted Al Mahdi on several charges of war crimes, for intentional attacks against ten religious and historic buildings and monuments. All the buildings which Al Mahdi was charged with attacking had been under UNESCO protection, and most had been listed as world heritage sites. The case against Al Mahdi at the ICC unfolded relatively quickly and efficiently, from the official Malian …

South-South Cooperation On The Return Of Cultural Property: The Case Of South America, Alice Lopes Fabris

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This article challenges the notion that “south” countries fail to protect cultural property. Instead, it demonstrates that south countries have strong policies for the return of cultural property and against trafficking. This article will first analyze the international and regional policy frameworks, as well as bilateral agreements regarding the protection of cultural property against illicit trafficking. The second part of this article examines actions taken by the South American States for the return of cultural property. Finally, this article presents case studies of cultural property restituted among South American countries.

Water Scarcity: Preventing Future Conflicts, Rush O'Connor

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This Note focuses on nations with shared water sources forming transboundary agreements to promote peaceful solutions and to protect people's right to water. Given the growing scarcity of water, this Note emphasizes the urgent need to create agreements. It argues that international agreements are ineffective with respect to protecting the right to water and do not create proper forums for settling disputes over water. Yet international organizations can take an active role in helping to form transboundary agreements and acting as mediators when an agreement fails. This Note then explores how transboundary agreements work and why they are better than …

Nazi-Looted Art: Preserving A Legacy, Alyssa R. Bickford

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

In the 2014 case of Meyer v. Bd. of Regents of the Univ. of Okla., victims of looting asked a court to resolve ownership of a piece of artwork that the Nazis had looted, and was sold several times, and ultimately donated to the University of Oklahoma. This case provides just one example of the issues facing claimants, museums, and courts regarding Nazi-looted art. Although this case reached a settlement, the lack of consistency and uniformity in this area of the law necessitates stronger guidelines to protect the competing interests of claimants and museums to the disputed pieces of art. …

The Icc's Role In Combatting The Destruction Of Cultural Heritage, Mark S. Ellis

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

However, the case’s firm grounding in international law, and the clear connection between a category of cultural-property crimes and attempts at cultural erasure, challenges the notion that these are second-rate crimes. The case reinforces the legal principle that attacks on culture, like attacks against people, constitute war crimes subject to international criminal prosecution. The Al Mahdi case will be significant in determining how the international community should best deal with such abhorrent attacks in the future.

A More Acceptable Solution: The Proposed European Union Agency Of Asylum And Refugees, Sarah Katz

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

This Note details the improvements that should be made to a recent proposal submitted by a group of scholars to the European Parliament. The scholars have suggested that the European Union create an independent organization to process asylum applications and to deal with refugee issues in the European Union. This Note agrees with this central proposal, but fleshes out more details that are missing from this initial proposition. The five aspects of refugee processing are detailed in turn: (1) defining a refugee; (2) assigning responsibility for dealing with asylum claims; (3) reception conditions; (4) temporary protection; and (5) long-term residence …

Introduction: 2016 Klatsky Endowed Lecture In Human Rights, Bruce J. Klatsky

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Talking Foreign Policy: Art, Diplomacy And Accountability, Michael P. Scharf

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Michael P. Scharf, Paul R. Williams, Mark Ellis, William Schabas, Shannon French, and Milena Sterio discuss art and international law topics.

Broadcast quarterly, "Talking Foreign Policy" is a one-hour radio program hosted by Case Western Reserve University School of Law Co-Dean Michael Scharf in which experts discuss the salient foreign policy issues of the day. The broadcast on October 7, 2016, addressed international law and art.

Foreword: The Art Of International Law, Michael P. Scharf, Katie Steiner

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Dealing With Laundering In The Swiss Art Market: New Legislation And Its Threat To Honest Traders, Katie L. Steiner

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

On January 1, 2016, new regulations took effect in Switzerland that impact the country's art market. The laws aim to close channels for laundering money and illicit antiquities within the art trade. Because the art market's opacity provides attractive conditions for launderers, Switzerland's new regulations introduce greater transparency in transactions for high-value works of art and in duty-free art-storage facilities, such as the Geneva freeport. The Geneva warehouse serves an international clientele of art collectors, who have traditionally stored works of art in the facility anonymously and indefinitely, without adverse tax consequences. The freeport provides essential services for honest collectors …

Al Mahdi Has Been Convicted Of A Crime He Did Not Commit, William Schabas

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

A closer look at the Rome Statute suggests that Al Mahdi did not commit the crime for which he was convicted.