Digital Commons Network^™

"Double-Sided Shareholder Primacy": Even More Powerful Corporate Governance Machine In China Than The United States?, Wenhan Tang

Emory International Law Review Recent Developments

This article examines the emergence of a “double-sided shareholder primacy” in China’s corporate governance, contrasting it with the U.S. “single-sided shareholder primacy”. While the U.S. emphasizes shareholder interests as the corporate purpose but centralizes governance power in boards, China’s system uniquely combines shareholder-centric corporate objectives and concentrated shareholder control, reinforced by a more powerful “Corporate Governance Machine.” This machine integrates legal transplants (e.g., extreme shareholder meeting authority), ternary controllers (state, family, and minority stockholders), cultural ideologies favoring power concentration, and political metaphors likening meetings of shareholders to sovereign bodies. Despite its entrenchment, China’s 2024 Company Law revisions reveal efforts to …

Two Americas, Across Two Americas: A Comparative Analysis Of Indigenous Law In The United States And Guatemala, Thomas Jiwon Lynch

Emory International Law Review Recent Developments

The United States and Guatemala are home to some of the largest indigenous populations on earth. They are also home to some of the worst transgressions against these peoples. Though superficially distinct, the two states share the same violent colonial history and their differing approaches to modern indigenous rights both miss the mark. The question is why. Is it because US judges routinely misinterpret existing case law? Because the rule of law is weaker in Guatemala? Or is there something far more deeply rooted in each state’s shared history that prevents true recognition of indigenous rights? This paper attempts to …

Comparative Federalism In The Us And The Eu — The Winemaker's Legal Perspective, Clement Xu

Emory International Law Review Recent Developments

In our lives, many of us will intersect with wine at some point, be it an aged bordeaux presented in elaborate fashion, or a box of nondescript cooler doled out at a backyard cookout. Beyond analyzing a wine for the complexity of its bouquet, or the strength of its tannins, the wine market as a whole beckons a nuanced study from the perspective of comparative law. The radical differences in business models, consumer base, and even expectations, between the “old world” and the “new world” give rise to a number of topics ranging from authenticity, legal protection, and government regulatory …

Synthetic Media As A Risk Factor For Genocide, Fatemah Albader

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

The rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning has introduced synthetic media—AI-generated images and videos—as a transformative tool in international law. While these technologies can enhance documentation, advocacy, and awareness in conflict zones, they also pose serious risks when misused to incite violence or genocide. This Article explores the dual nature of synthetic media, focusing on its capacity to inflame ethnic tensions, spread disinformation, and manipulate public perception in ways that can catalyze mass atrocities. Drawing on historical examples and recent events, it highlights how synthetic media can function as a risk factor for genocide, especially in volatile environments, and …

Rightly Dividing Jus Ad Bellum And Jus In Bello In The Israel/Hamas War, Jeffrey F. Addicott

Faculty Articles

The purpose of this paper is to: (1) review the applicable rule of law as it relates to both the initiation of warfare and the use of armed force in the execution of that warfare; and (2) apply those legal standards to the facts associated with the Israel/Hamas conflict. While this may seem an easy task – to set out unanimity in the international community – it is not. The inability to set bright lines of distinction between aggressors and those acting in self-defense is not just a failure in definition or even understanding, it is a failure to legitimize …

An Introduction To U.S. Groundwater Law: Domestic And Transboundary Considerations, Caleb Cook, Gabriel Eckstein

Faculty Scholarship

In light of the scientific and historical factors that have shaped the development of groundwater law and policy, this chapter seeks to provide a primarily descriptive account of its current state in the United States and to lay a foundation for future efforts to address gaps in the regime. Section 8B.02 considers the importance of groundwater in modern American society, with a particular focus on its uses and the threats these resources face. Section 8B.03 describes the U.S. framework for the domestic governance of groundwater resources. Section 8B.04 describes the mechanisms for transboundary governance of groundwater between the United States …

The Position Of The United States Of America Vis-A-Vis The Question Of Western Sahara: Assessing The Role Of Think Tanks In The Conflict, Hamid Baadeche

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

The Position of the United States of America Vis-à-vis the Question of Western Sahara: Assessing the Role of Think Tanks in the Conflict

Hamid Baadeche

Think tank organizations, particularly in the United States, have become a prominent feature of the political landscape. They act as advocates for specific policies that they consider beneficial for the country or a particular societal group. They function as a primary source of information, which they then aim to transform into well-informed policies and sound decisions. They are referred to as "the revolving doors," "idea brokers," and "idea factory." As such, their foremost objective …

Anticolonial Rights Advocacy, Christopher M. Roberts, Michelle M. Ong

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

It is often asserted that human rights discourse and practice principally originated following the Second World War, or as late as the 1970s, and that human rights claims are inherently Western and liberal. None of these assertions are true. In fact, both rights-based critiques and rights claims were frequently articulated prior to the Second World War. They were articulated not only by Western liberals, but also by anticolonial advocates from every part of the world. This article explores anticolonial rights claims advanced between the end of the First World War and 1930. Rights claims were extensively made by numerous groups …

Prosecutorial Independence Regained? Mixing The Continental And Anglo-American Styles In South Korea, Neil Chisholm

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The article examines the challenges of achieving prosecutorial independence in South Korea, highlighting the tension between Continental European and Anglo-American models. It explores the reforms aimed at addressing these challenges, including the creation of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) and the decentralization of investigative powers. While these reforms reflect an effort to balance bureaucratic and democratic accountability, concerns persist about politicization, hierarchical control, and the effectiveness of new institutions. The article argues that the success of these reforms depends on structural changes and the ability of new agencies to operate independently.

Measuring Location-Specific Rents, David Elkins

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Enforcing International Humanitarian Law Through The Business Responsibility To Respect Human Rights, Tara Van Ho

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

Insulation produced by the Danish company Rockwool or its Russian subsidiary lines thirty-one Russian Navy warships. Though not a weapon, this material is essential to the vessels' operation. Did Rockwool have a responsibility under international law to stop the transfer of the insulation to the Russian Navy before Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine? This article examines the business responsibilities under the 2011 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("UNGPs'). In doing so, the article finds that the business responsibility to respect human rights in the UNGPs provides a strong mechanism for enforcing international humanitarian law ("IHL'). However, …

Information Governance In China: Data, Power, And The Law, Yuping Lin

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

Information is central to governance. In China, the State controls information, such as GDP data, to guide policy and shape political narratives. Given the importance of information, relevant parties, such as central and local governments, tend to monopolize its production and dissemination. This monopoly leads to the prolferation of misinformation, which not only undermines the governance but also affects public trust in the State. To address this problem, the first step is to understand the logic behind misinformation generation, followed by identifyingpotential solutions. This article traces the history ofmisinformation production through the lens of the principal-agent tension between central and …

Delivery Of Substitute Goods In Unified International And European Sales Law, Justus Meyer

Emory International Law Review

The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) stipulates that the seller can cure a lack of conformity by supplying a replacement. On the other hand, the buyer can only demand a replacement delivery if the lack of conformity constitutes a fundamental breach of contract. In contrast, according to the European Sales Law Directive, the consumer may, at his choice, require the seller to repair the goods or to replace them “in the first place”. This article traces the developments that have led to these different regulatory approaches.

Recognition Policies, Self-Determination, And Access To Legal Redress For Indigenous Peoples In The United States, Australia, And Canada: A Comparative Study, Christian Zavardino

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note examines recognition policies and self-determination frameworks for Indigenous Peoples in the United States, Australia, and Canada, arguing that the U.S. federalist system of tribal recognition offers a potential model for addressing Indigenous rights in other countries, particularly Australia. It emphasizes the importance of international law, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), in guiding domestic policies and promoting Indigenous sovereignty.

"Baby-Steps For Baby Business": Diverse Market, Challenges, And Workable International Regulation For Cross-Border Commercial Surrogacy, Ellene Ko

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note examines the rapid growth of transnational commercial surrogacy as a multibillion-dollar industry, driven by assisted reproductive technologies and fertility tourism. It highlights the legal conflicts and challenges arising from the patchwork of international surrogacy regulations, including issues of citizenship, exploitation, and enforcement of cross-border contracts. The analysis advocates for an international convention to establish a clear legal framework for transnational surrogacy, emphasizing the need for shared responsibility between global and national oversight bodies to prevent exploitation and ensure ethical practices.

"A Signature At Gunpoint" - Reframing Forced Sales And Sales Under Duress In Nazi-Looted Art Disputes, Ethan Ashley

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note advocates for recognizing forced sales of art during the Nazi era as sales under duress and proposes a legal presumption of duress to facilitate restitution for heirs. It suggests amending the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act of 2016 to include this presumption, shifting the burden of proof to defendants to demonstrate that sales were voluntary. This change aims to address inconsistent court rulings and ensure fairer outcomes for claimants.

Reframing Puerto Rican Advocacy: How The Emerging U.S.-China Rift Can Help Puerto Rico Realize Greater Autonomy, Michael Angelo Tabrizi

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note advocates for reframing Puerto Rican decolonization efforts as a foreign policy issue rather than solely a domestic matter, leveraging the U.S.-China rivalry to gain international support and alignment with the United Nations' principles on self-governance.

Police Brutality As Democide In The United States: The Supreme Court’S Acquiescence To Police-Civilian Violence, Jillian Fantuzzi

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

"Never again" is a power phrase used by survivors, observers, scholars, and descendants of survivors when reflecting on the mass casualties of innocent civilians resulting from government methods, like Nazism, ethnic cleansing, communism, and genocide, to exterminate groups deemed different or less than. Many blame dictatorial regimes for these mass atrocities, making democracy appear as a sound solution due to its attractive system ofchecks and balances. However, where the government agents responsible for mass killings of unarmed civilians remain unchecked by the judiciary, the product is not democracy but "democide." This unchecked power serves as a method of persecution of …

Russia’S Foreign Agent Law And Its Consequences For Civil Society And Human Rights, Karen Gilkman

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Belgium’S Implementation Of The Eu Copyright Directive: An Investigation Of The State Of Equitable Remuneration, Soraya Mazarei

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

As streaming becomes the dominant means of music consumption around the globe, songwriters have lost out to music publishers in the contracting process. Ultimately, songwriters are making less money than they used to. Some countries have opted to address this growing problem. Various European countries, including Belgium, have made great strides towards levelling the playing field, to the benefit of songwriters. The subject of equitable remuneration (ER) in the music industry is one that garners ever-more attention, particularly as streaming giants like Spotify win an ever-larger proportion of the music market. Thus far, ER regimes have focused largely on featured …

"Be Thankful I Don't Take It All ('Cause I'M The Taxman)": Music Transactions, Catalog Sales, And Tax Treatment, Hannah M. Bartfield

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

This Note examines music catalog transactions from a tax perspective to determine the key considerations, benefits, and consequences of such a transaction, and then addresses why these characteristics are inconsistent with the purpose of copyright law. First, this Note addresses the copyright concepts that govern the music industry in Part I.B. In Part II, royalties are discussed as one method that musicians can rely on to earn revenue from their music, including a summary of how those earnings are taxed. In Part III, these findings will be weighed against similar considerations for the sale of an artist's music catalog, including …

Beyond The Threshold Of Protection: Examining Non-Refoulement's Erosion In Contemporary Refugee Law Through The Eu-Turkey Agreement, Aya Osman

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the contemporary relevance and practical implementation of the principle of non-refoulement as established in the 1951 Refugee Convention. While this fundamental principle of international refugee law prohibits the return of individuals to countries where they face persecution, torture, or human rights violations, its widespread violation by state parties raises critical questions about its continued effectiveness and the broader validity of the Convention's framework in today's global context. Through a methodological approach combining legal analysis and case studies of state practices, this paper investigates whether the 1951 framework remains valid and in effect when addressing refugee and immigration …

Re-Recording The Record: The Case For A Stronger Moral Right Of Integrity In The United States, Alexandria Touron

Fordham Law Review

In the United States, musical artists have limited legal recourse over transferring ownership of their music to third parties, even when such transfers may harm the artist’s reputation or the integrity of the work. Even the most prominent musicians, like Taylor Swift, must operate within an industry structure that normalizes the transfer of rights and, thus, control of their creative works. This occurs because U.S. law ties artists’ rights almost exclusively to economic ownership of their work unless they specifically bargain to keep their moral rights. However, most other countries have comprehensive moral rights frameworks where all artists can protect …

Carceral Firms In Disguise: Prison Labor, Human Rights, And The Public-Private Divide, Mao-Hong Lin

Emory International Law Review

The prohibition of forced labor is a globally recognized principle. International laws such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the American Convention on Human Rights explicitly ban all forms of slavery, including forced labor, with an exception for forced labor behind bars. Further, ILO asserts that forced prison labor must be conducted solely under the control of public authorities, explicitly excluding private entities from involvement. ILO’s prohibition against private use of prison labor is based on two main concerns: abuse of power over inmates and unfair competition between inmates and …

Frandship Ended With Anti-Suit Injunctions? U.S. And European Responses To Chinese Anti-Suit Injunctions In Standard-Essential Patent Litigation, Richard Li

Emory International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Josef Bohatec: The First Historian Of The Calvinist Reformation Of Rights, John Witte Jr., Thomas Jared Farmer

Emory International Law Review

This Article analyzes the pioneering work of the first great historian of Calvinist rights talk, Josef Bohatec (1876–1954), a Moravian-born and Vienna-based church historian. Bohatec built on the earlier efforts of several German scholars who were excavating pre-Enlightenment sources of human rights going back to antiquity. But Bohatec placed strong new emphasis on the original rights contributions of sixteenth-century Protestant reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) and his followers. Bohatec showed how Calvin’s legal training shaped the many new statutes and rights ordinances that he crafted for Geneva. He also showed how Calvin’s theological training shaped his highly innovative Protestant legal and …

Unseating The Israeli Government From The Un General Assembly In Case Of Non-Compliance With The Advisory Opinion Of 19 July 2024, Maryam Jamshidi

Publications

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Peoples In International (Treaty) Diplomacy, Kristen A. Carpenter

Publications

International diplomacy has traditionally been considered the exclusive prerogative of states, who engage with each other on matters of peace, conflict, and trade with an eye to national interests and global wellbeing. This is one of a series of works considering "Indigenous Diplomacy"—a practice in which Indigenous Peoples engage with states, as well as other Indigenous Peoples, groups, and individuals in bilateral and multilateral settings, informed by Indigenous values, to advance rights, relationships, and remedies, as well as peace and security. This Article examines one category of Indigenous Diplomacy, namely the diplomatic processes surrounding modern and contemporary international treaties. With …

Contested Criminalization, Steven Arrigg Koh

Faculty Scholarship

How does the U.S. government decide to deploy criminal justice abroad? From the Syrian civil war to the Israel-Gaza conflict, Russia-Ukraine War, and U.S.-China relations, criminal law sits at the heart of contemporary U.S. foreign relations. And yet legal scholarship has never precisely explained how the U.S. government deploys or supports criminal prosecutions abroad, often defaulting to simplistic labels of the United States as exceptionalist, carceral, or isolationist. This Article rectifies this by introducing a theory of contested criminalization, piercing the veil of U.S. government decisionmaking in its use of criminal law in foreign policy. According to this process, …

Affording Oral Tradition Evidence Due Weight Before The International Court Of Justice, Terrence Neal

Lewis & Clark Law Review

Oral traditions are irreplaceable sources of historical information, particularly with regard to Indigenous Peoples’ histories and cultures. However, when states have submitted oral traditions as evidence of historical practices, events, and circumstances in cases before the International Court of Justice (“Court”), the Court has been reluctant to afford them significant weight. This Article, which is the first detailed study on the Court’s treatment of oral traditions, examines whether the Court is failing to provide them due or appropriate weight. Based on historical, archaeological, and anthropological research, it establishes that oral traditions can be as reliable as written documents for reconstructing …