Law Commons^™

A Skeptical Look At The Concept Of Terrorism, R. R. Baxter

Akron Law Review

International Law is that body of law which creates rights for me and duties for you. I fight wars of self-defence. You fight imperialistic wars of aggression. I am a patriotic soldier. You are a war criminal. I am a freedom fighter. You are a terrorist. It is in language of this character that we carry on rational discourse in these days. These are the conventional epithets of the contemporary epic.

We have cause to regret that a legal concept of "terrorism" was ever inflicted upon us. The term is imprecise; it is ambiguous; and above all, it serves no …

Copyright In Pantomime

Brian L. Frye

Why does the Copyright Act specifically provide for the protection of “pantomimes”? This article shows that the Copyright Act of 1976 amended the subject matter of copyright to include pantomimes simply in order to conform it to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. It further shows that the Berlin Act of 1909 amended the Berne Convention to provide for copyright protection of “les pantomimes” and “entertainments in dumb show” in order to ensure copyright protection of silent motion pictures. Unfortunately, the original purpose of providing copyright protection to “pantomimes” was forgotten. This Article argues that …

When “One Country, Two Systems” Meets “One Person, One Vote”: The Law Of Treaties In The Crucible Of Hong Kong’S Election Crisis, Gregory S. Gordon

Gregory S. Gordon

In Hong Kong’s recent election crisis, an uprising against China’s pre-selecting candidates for Chief Executive and thus foreclosing civic-nomination, both sides (establishment and pro-democracy) have attempted to interpret the term “universal suffrage” based exclusively on its inclusion in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law. In so doing, however, they have given short shrift to the agreement that gave rise to the Basic Law in the first place: the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. But while the Joint Declaration provides important textual insights, it simultaneously raises significant issues regarding application of the law of treaties. For example, did the Joint Declaration terminate …

Passports And Nationality In International Law, Adam I. Muchmore

Adam I. Muchmore

Shifts in state control over territory can have substantial consequences for the nationality of individuals. This Article explores situations where an individual finds that the state which issued him a passport no longer recognizes his nationality. The law of binding state action, a set of broadly-accepted rules regulating state representations to other states, may provide more protection for passport-holders than the “soft” norms of human rights law.

Finding The Adequate Legal Framework For The Deployment Of Ocean Renewable Energy Through Area-Based Management, Xiao Recio-Blanco

Xiao Recio-Blanco

The world runs on electricity, but its global distribution is uneven and incomplete. The lack of access to electricity denies some people the most basic benefits, from healthcare and sanitation to security and economic development.

To increase access to electricity, most developing nations have relied on traditional sources of energy, namely fossil fuels, and the extension of a central electrical grid. Scholars and specialized International Organizations suggest that the implementation of renewable energy technologies through small-to-mid scale grid projects could be a reliable alternative. However, renewable energy technologies must overcome three formidable hurdles: low reliability, uneven availability, and the high …

The International Legal System: Cases And Materials. 6th Edition,, Mary Ellen O'Connell, Richard Scott, Naomi Roht-Arriaza

Naomi Roht-Arriaza

No abstract provided.

International Law And Military Activities In Outer Space, Robert L. Bridge

Akron Law Review

The object of this review is to establish definitively the legal constraints which currently apply to military activities in space. Research has disclosed no single reference less than eight years old which examines all the issues to be discussed here. A great flurry of scholarly legal writing attended the launching of the Russian Sputnik in 1957, but comparatively little has been written since the late 1960's. Thus, much of the source material cited here is ten to fifteen years old.

Extraterritorial Abductions: A Newly Developing International Standard, Martin Feinrider

Akron Law Review

It is these extra-legal extraterritorial apprehensions, and their status under international law, that will be the subject of this study. Here, the focus will be on the question of protection against acts of outright abduction. The conclusions reached in this study, however, would be applicable to any extra-legal extraterritorial abduction in which the apprehending State could be considered to be guilty of complicity. It is the problem of the extraterritorial violation of human rights that is to be addressed.

Resolving The Energy War Through International Law And Solar Technology, Aldo Armando Cocca

Akron Law Review

A striking feature of the past decade has been a new form of war. This war, a controversy carried to extremes, apparently will not remain isolated. This conflict may be seen as a predecessor of future battles for survival, for instance a "non-renewable resources war." Such wars are not concerned with territorial boundaries; they have a much wider economic effect. They involve the entire civilized community.

The energy conflict presently has gone beyond the crisis stage. Not only is a forthcoming peace beyond the horizon, the war itself is becoming increasingly aggressive. The fact that the weapon is an exhaustible …

The Iranian Crisis: Who Should Do What?, Roger Fisher

Akron Law Review

When people talk about international law that way I think that we are like the crew of that B-17. We are in this together. If international law doesn't work, we are all in for a crash landing.

The Power Of The Body: Analyzing The Corporeal Logic Of Law And Social Change In The Arab Spring, Zeina Jallad, Zeina Jallad

Zeina Jallad

The Power of the Body:

Analyzing the Logic of Law and Social Change in the Arab Spring

Abstract:

Under conditions of extreme social and political injustice - when human rights are under the most threat - rational arguments rooted in the language of human rights are often unlikely to spur reform or to ensure government adherence to citizens’ rights. When those entrusted with securing human dignity, rights, and freedoms fail to do so, and when other actors—such as human rights activists, international institutions, and social movements—fail to engage the levers of power to eliminate injustice, then oppressed and even quotidian …

Using Occam’S Razor To Solve International Attorney-Client Privilege Choice Of Law Issues: An Old Solution To A New Problem, Nathan M. Crystal, Francesca Giannoni-Crystal

Nathan M. Crystal

The practice of law is increasingly becoming “delocalized.” Globalization and the use of technology are two important factors in this fundamental change in practice. Delocalization is affecting almost all areas of practice, including issues involving attorney-client privilege (ACP). To some extent the choice-of-law rules governing ACP are also – like other fields of the law - being “delocalized,” but in our view only partially. This paper discusses six approaches to choice of law issues governing ACP that are being used by the courts. Aside from the traditional lex loci approach (which simply applies the law of the forum to the …

An Interdisciplinary Approach To The Strategic Defense Initiative Debate, Scott F. March

Akron Law Review

An interdisciplinary framework in which international law is but one element is presented in this article in the hope of lending organization to the complex subject of space weaponization. Seven factors are discussed which strongly influence decision-makers in both the United States and the Soviet Union who are charged with establishing and implementing the military space policies of their respective nations. They are (1) the relationship between the militarization of earth and the militarization of space; (2) the effects of weapon technology and national defense policy upon the use of space; (3) the interrelationship of the international law-making process with …

Is The International Court Of Justice Worth The Effort?, Joseph L. Daly

Akron Law Review

Throughout history most peacemaking has been a response to a particular crisis - efforts of two countries to solve a dispute by treaty or to negotiate the end of a war. But as the instruments of war have become more and more horrible, as wars have come to take an ever increasing toll on civilian populations, world leaders have tried to establish a structure for peace, a permanent way of avoiding conflict by appealing to reason, not to weapons. Our century has hoped that some sort of international tribunal - a world court - would decide disputes on enduring principles …

International Law In The Reagan Years: How Much Of An Outlier, John King Gamble Jr.

Akron Law Review

But is there reason to believe that the attitude and behavior of the Reagan administration towards international law have been unusually hostile? That fundamental question will be addressed in several ways.

First, one component of President Reagan's foreign policy, aid for the Nicaraguan Contras, will be discussed in some detail. That particular policy has produced perhaps the most sharply drawn, sustained conflict with international law. Second, a much briefer account will be provided about two other Reagan administration encounters with international law. Finally, an attempt will be made to provide some historical perspective to the 1981- 1988 period.

Zivotofsky Ii's Two Visions For Foreign Relations Law, Harlan G. Cohen

Scholarly Works

The five opinions in Zivotofsky v. Kerry – four by the Supreme Court’s Republican-nominated Justices – exposed fault-lines over foreign relations law that have remained hidden in many of the Court’s other cases. This short essay, part of an AJIL Unbound Agora on the case, explores the most notable of these fissures – that between Justice Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, and Chief Justice Roberts, who dissented. Their disagreement in this case highlights the two Justices’ very different visions of U.S. foreign relations law and reveals the dynamic that has defined the direction of the Court over the last …

Why International Law Favors Emigration Over Immigration, Thomas Kleven

Thomas Kleven

No abstract provided.

The Present Developments Of Legal Regulations Of Space Activities In Russia And Commonwealth Of Independent States, Elena Kamenetskaya

Akron Law Review

The purpose of this article is to give general information about basic legal documents on the exploration and use of outer space which appeared in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States in the recent past.

Application Of International Water Law To Transboundary Groundwater Resources, And The Slovak-Hungarian Dispute Over Gabcikovo-Nagymaros, Gabriel Eckstein

Gabriel Eckstein

The growth in global population and economic development has resulted in tremendous pressures on existing sources of fresh water. Human water use over the past three centuries increased by a factor of thirty-five and is growing by four to eight percent annually. Coupled with recurring international disputes over water resources, poor water management, and the realization that water is an indispensable but finite resource, these trends have propelled the use and management of transboundary groundwater resources to the forefront of legal debate.

Until recently, matters relating to groundwater resources were relatively ignored in the context of international law applicable to …

A Hydrogeological Approach To Transboundary Ground Water Resources And International Law, Gabriel Eckstein, Yoram Eckstein

Gabriel Eckstein

Ground water resources have long been the neglected stepchild of water law. While agreements focusing on transboundary rivers and lakes have been relatively common, there is a paucity of treaties and international norms squarely addressing shared ground water resources. As a result, the rules governing the use, management, and conservation of transboundary ground waters is unclear at best.

This dearth is, in large part, the result of a deficit of scientific understanding among legislators, policymakers, and the judiciary. This is evidenced in many international and domestic laws and policies that have little or no scientific underpinning. Accordingly, there is a …

International Humanitarian Law Divergence, Lesley Wexler

Pepperdine Law Review

How do states manage disagreements about the application and interpretation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL)? As countries find themselves embroiled in conflicts across the globe and in need of allies' political, economic, and military support, this question is important from a practical standpoint as well as a theoretical one. This essay provides one set of answers by looking at the United States’ approach to potential IHL disputes with its allies. It opens with an exploration of the issues most likely to create divergence: the existence, typology, and scope of armed conflicts; the interaction between IHL and International Human Rights Law, …

Lost In Translation? The Relevancy Of Kobe Bryant And Aristotle To The Legality Of Modern Warfare, Rachel E. Vanlandingham

Pepperdine Law Review

What do Kobe Bryant, Aristotle, and the continuing U.S. response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, have in common? President Barack Obama told the New Yorker in early 2014, in response to a question regarding the seeming resurgence of al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq, that “[t]he analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a jayvee team puts on Lakers uniforms that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant.” As this example demonstrates, the Obama Administration and others, in reference to the legality of the use of armed force against al Qaeda and similar …

The Lyon Declaration On Access To Information And Development, Anne Burnett

Presentations

A large format infographic presenting key facts about the Lyon Declaration and providing details about IFLA.

Zivotofsky V. Kerry: A Foreign Relations Law Bonanza, Ingrid Wuerth Brunk

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This short paper on Zivotofsky v. Kerry gives an overview of the case and analyzes its significance for international law in constitutional interpretation and for the Supreme Court’s “normalization” of foreign relations law.

In terms of the overall significance of the case, it is a bonanza of foreign relations issues and doctrine: the executive Vesting Clause, the President as the “sole organ” of the nation, the need for the nation to speak with “one voice,” Curtiss-Wright, Youngstown, diplomatic history and practice, the Republic of Texas, secrecy and dispatch, Citizen Genet, the Spanish-American war, international law in constitutional interpretation, formalism and …

The Applicability Of The Humanitarian Intervention 'Exception' To The Middle Eastern Refugee Crisis: Why The International Community Should Intervene Against Isis, Milena Sterio

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The refugee crises in Iraq and Syria, which has been evolving over the past decade as a result of both ongoing conflict in these countries and the recent surge of Islamic State-led violence, has morphed into a true humanitarian catastrophe. Tens of thousands of refugees have been subjected to violence and have been dispersed and forced to live under dire conditions; such massive population flows have destabilized the entire region and have threatened the stability of neighboring countries. The United States and several other countries have been engaged in a military air strike campaign against the Islamic State, but the …

Slides: The Columbia River Treaty, Barbara Cosens

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Barbara Cosens, Professor, University of Idaho College of Law and Waters of the West Graduate Program

22 slides

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 …

International Law And The Use Of Force: Cases And Materials, Mary Ellen O'Connell

Mary Ellen O'Connell

This casebook may get more attention today than ever before in its history. From the Russian invasion of Georgia to the on-going detentions at Guantanamo Bay, the use of suicide bombs, to the workings of the United Nations Security Council in a crisis like Darfur, some of the most pressing legal issues of the day are found in this branch of international law. The book: Brings together cases and materials on both the law governing the resort to armed force (jus ad bellum) and the law governing the conduct of force (jus in bello) Provides a dynamic introduction for students, …

The International Legal System: Documentary Supplement, Mary Ellen O'Connell, Jonathan Charney, Donald Anton

Mary Ellen O'Connell

Documentary Supplement to the International Legal System contains most of the multilateral conventions and United Nations declarations, resolutions, etc. that comprise the modern body of "international legislation" in the general fields of public international law, including international criminal law, and international organizations. The collection could be used as an adjunct to any course or seminar in those fields even if not used in conjunction with the basic casebook.

Politics, Values And Functions: International Law In The 21st Century: Essays In Honor Of Professor Louis Henkin, Mary Ellen O'Connell, Jonathan Charney, Donald Anton

Mary Ellen O'Connell

The editors and contributors have formed this collection to honour Louis Henkin in his 80th year. He has contributed greatly to the fields of international and constitutional law, to teaching and scholarship, to the international community and to each of the contributors and editors personally. The work sets out to highlight the impact of Henkin's contribution to international and constitutional scholarship.