Law Commons^™

The Role Of International Actors In Promoting Rule Of Law In Uganda, Joseph M. Isanga

Joseph Isanga

African conflicts have been caused in part by regimes that do not respect democracy. Uganda is an illustrative case. International actors have played along under an undeclared policy of constructive engagement, but this has essentially served only to delay democratic evolution. As a result, Ugandan leaders have become increasingly autocratic. In such circumstances, reliance on the military and personal rule based on patronage--as opposed to democracy and the rule of law-have become critically important in governance. Yet forceful measures often only beget forceful reactions. The best hope for democracy is for courts to enforce the will of the people as …

Special Economic Zones In The United States: From Colonial Charters, To Foreign-Trade Zones, Toward Ussezs, Tom W. Bell

Tom W. Bell

Poverty, Wealth, And Obligation In International Environmental Law, Mark A. Drumbl

Mark A. Drumbl

Developing nations are demonstrating some success in basing their participation in international environmental governance upon commitments by developed nations to provide financial resources and technology transfer. In recent years, these commitments have achieved textual status with a number of multilateral agreements. Part II of this Article identifies and documents treaty-based examples of this swap of resources in exchange for participation, with particular focus on the areas of climate change, biodiversity use/conservation, and ozone protection. This Article suggests that this swap represents a dynamic and emerging relationship between the North and the South that can best be described as a "shared …

The Implementation Gap: What Causes Laws To Succeed Or Fail?, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

It is important to go behind the “paper systems” many countries and private sector actors have created to manufacture the appearance of commitments to responsible economic activity, environmental protection and social justice. This produces the need to penetrate the veils that mask governments’ “apparent compliance” with the terms of sustainable development, and to be honest about the inability of voluntary codes of practice to shape the behavior of business and government. Implementation requires effective systems to carry out the law and policy mandates. Laws and policies are often poorly designed or deliberately sabotaged in their creation, but in many instances …

The Reality Of Business And Governmental Decision-Making In The Context Of Sustainable Development, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

It is absolutely rational for economic actors and decision-makers to seek to operate in their own self-interest. The challenge for anyone who wishes to influence or alter the process lies in knowing where that self-interest lies and changing the nature of the self-interest if that is required or possible. That is a far greater challenge than many understand because regardless of what we might like to do in our personal lives, it is the institution within which we work that dictates how we think and what we value in our service to that institution. Given the short time frame within …

New “Architecture” And Revitalizing The Un Global Compact, David Barnhizer

David Barnhizer

Some advocates of sustainable development possess an almost theological faith in what I refer to as “rhetorical” sustainable development as the path to providing for the sound future of human civilizations and critical ecological systems. Simply put, if we try to think “too big” and “bite off too much” then the system we are trying to control or influence consumes us and our resources and we fail miserably. There is real and predictable danger in grandeur. This means we need to think about achieving sustainability in very specific and concrete terms applied to clear goals and an honest understanding of …

Oportunidades De Desarrollo Productivo De La Población De Afectación Prioritaria En La Operación Estratégica Fontibón – Aeropuerto Eldorado – Engativá, Iván A. Rojas V

Iván Rojas V

The book analyzes the case of Operation Strategic Fontibón - Eldorado Airport - Engativa (OEFAE) and the implications on the urban economy of the city and potential opportunities for productive development for the population affected by the project in 2010 in Bogotá DC. El libro analiza el caso de la Operación Estrategica Fontibón - Aeropuerto ElDorado - Engativa (OEFAE) y las implicaciones sobre la economía urbana de la ciudad y las posibles oportunidades de desarrollo productivo para la población afectada por el proyecto en el 2010 en la ciudad de Bogotá DC.

Cash Or Credit: The Importance Of Financial Sector Stability In Rule Of Law Operations, Katherine E. Peterson

Katherine Peterson

“Rule of Law” missions occur in a variety of circumstances, each mission differing from the last by location, context, extent of operations, participants, or a combination of all of these things and more. These operations can occur during, or immediately after, an armed conflict, intra- or interstate, a natural disaster, or other destabilizing or destructive event. The United States, international organizations, and other developed countries play a significant role in rebuilding these states so that they may one day achieve “Rule of Law.” The U.S. Military defines Rule of Law as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions …

Cultural Relativism, Economic Development And International Human Rights In The Asian Context, Richard Klein

Richard Daniel Klein

No abstract provided.

Vulture Funds, Sovereign Debts And The Concept Of Debt Relief, Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire

An Institute for Social Change Research and Learning Series webinar looking at one of the pressing issues impacting international debt relief. Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire, A SISGI Group Spring 2011 Program and Research Intern, provides an analysis of a problem facing many countries and proposes strategies that can be used to improve international debt relief.

Debt relief is seen as a strong economic development strategy for many countries facing issues of poverty and lack of resources. Unfortunately, a legal system that allows debt to be sold to "vulture firms" is preventing debt relief and even international aid efforts from being realized. …

O Passado E O Futuro Financeiro Dos Estados Unidos Da America: O Experimentalismo Americano Sem O Excepcionalismo Americano, Tamara Lothian

Tamara Lothian

Este trabalho apresenta uma distincao entre a reforma regulatoria financeira e a reconstrucao institucional, e argumenta que os esforcos dos EUA e do outros paises para reformar a regulacao de financas podem e devem servir como um primeiro passo para a reconstrucao institucional. A crise financeira revelou uma serie de problemas que nao podem ser resolvidos atraves da simples regulacao. Tais problemas exigem inovacoes destinadas a reorganizar a relacao das financas com a economia real. Para isso, precisamos de uma pratica de analise juridica e economica atenta as realidades e possibilidades institucionais. Este trabalho exemplifica essa pratica no cenario da …

Evaluating South Africa's Post-Apartheid Democratic Prospects Through The Lens Of Economic Development Theory, Jonathan Marshfield

Jonathan Marshfield

Sovereignty And The American Courts At The Cocktail Party Of International Law: The Dangers Of Domestic Invocations Of Foreign And International Law, Donald J. Kochan

Donald J. Kochan

With increasing frequency and heightened debate, United States courts have been citing foreign and “international” law as authority for domestic decisions. This trend is inappropriate, undemocratic, and dangerous. The trend touches on fundamental concepts of sovereignty, democracy, the judicial role, and overall issues of effective governance. There are multiple problems with the judiciary’s reliance on extraterritorial and extra-constitutional foreign or international sources to guide their decisions. Perhaps the most fundamental flaw is its interference with rule of law values. To borrow from Judge Harold Levanthal, the use of international sources in judicial decision-making might be described as “the equivalent of …