Law Commons^™

Books Received, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

West's Law & Commercial Dictionary in Five Languages

West Publishing Company, 1985. Pp. xvi, 885, 899.

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Flags of Convenience

By B.N. Metaxes

Aldershot, England and Brookfield, Vermont

Gower Publishing Company, 1985. Pp.x, 107.

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External Debt Management

Edited by Hassanali Mehran

Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 1985. Pp. v, 322.

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Adjustment, Conditionality, and International Financing

Edited by Joaquin Muns

Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 1984. Pp. xi, 214.

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Non-Appearance Before the International Court of Justice

By H.W.A. Thirlway

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Pp. v, 184.

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William Sheppard, Cromwell's Law Reformer

By Nancy L. Matthews

London: …

Terrorism, Extradition, And Fsia Relief: The Letelier Case, Eric H. Singer

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The cases involving Orlando Letelier and Michael Townley raise a number of questions about extradition and state-sponsored terrorism. As shown by the United States' failure to obtain the three Chilean requestees (and Argentina's failure to obtain Townley), extradition is an unreliable and thus inadequate means to cope with state-sponsored terrorism. To deter such conduct may call for greater inventiveness in identifying and implementing effective sanctions. The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) seemingly offers an alternative to extradition and a remedy for acts of state-sponsored terrorism under its noncommercial torts exception. This remedy, however, is uncertain in light of recent court …

Sovereign Immunity In Perspective, Stefan A. Riesenfeld

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The doctrine of the immunity of foreign governments from the adjudicatory and enforcement jurisdiction of national courts is rooted in two bases of international law, the notion of sovereignty and the notion of the equality of sovereigns. There is no need to rehearse the historical growth of these foundations of the modern international community. Suffice it to say that E.D. Dickinson's celebrated study, The Equality of States in International Law, furnishes a detailed account of the evolution of these notions.

Although historically the recognition of the jurisdictional immunities of foreign states may have been intertwined with the recognition of the …

Sovereign Immunity: The Exception For Intellectual Or Industrial Property, Virginia Morris

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The doctrine of sovereign or state immunity exempts a state and its property from the judicial jurisdiction of any other state. The domestic courts of various nations have developed this doctrine over the years through cases in which private citizens have attempted to sue foreign states. Courts' enunciations of the principle of state immunity and their reasons for granting or denying the immunity are almost as numerous as the countries whose courts have faced this issue. The current work of the International Law Commission (the Commission) on the codification and the progressive development of the jurisdictional immunities of states and …

The Perils Of Panama--Are United States Employees Of The Panama Canal Commission Exempt From United States Income Taxation?, Pamela P. Bond

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Since the enactment of the Panama Canal Treaty (the Treaty) on October 1, 1979, United States citizens employed by the Panama Canal Commission have come to the United States federal courts seeking exemption from income taxation. The Commission employees have based their claims on an executive agreement which accompanied the Treaty. Specifically, they have relied on the language found in article XV of the Agreement in Implementation of Article III of the Panama Canal Treaty (the Implementation Agreement).

Foreign Sovereign Immunity In The United States Courts 1976-1986, Mark B. Feldman

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In principle, the Reagan Administration should support measures that strengthen the international trading system and that help secure United States investment abroad, as such measures encourage the flows of capital, technology and know-how from the private sector, which the Administration recognizes to be essential to successful economic development in the Third World. However, the responsible attorneys in the State Department and the Justice Department are particularly sensitive to the reactions of foreign governments and to the interests of United States agencies as potential defendants in foreign courts.

The Executive finally defined its position in hearings in the House of Representatives …

Extraterritorial Discovery: Cooperation, Coercion And The Hague Evidence Convention, Harold G. Maier

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article reviews the most recent case law on this issue and examines the results of those cases in the light of existing principles of comity and of the newly promulgated Restatement of Foreign Relations Law of the United States (Revised). The analysis focuses on three important appellate court decisions, all of which are or have been before the United States Supreme Court, and examines the contents and origins of the United States Government's position on these issues as found in amicus briefs submitted in these cases. The article concludes with an evaluation of the dilemma evidenced by the need …

The Exuberant Pathway To Quixotic Internationalism: Assessing The Folly Of Mitsubishi, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

By holding that antitrust claims are arbitrable, the United States Supreme Court may have wanted to minimize, if not eliminate, the possibility that dilatory practices could thwart the international arbitral process. Faced with a potentially ruinous contractual relationship and the prospect of arbitration, a disgruntled party (like Soler) might find that it has no other remedy than postponing the day of reckoning. Raising the possibility that the entire transaction is illicit because of antitrust violations at least generates delay and might undermine the arbitration, staving off the possibility of resolution.

Case Digest, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Act of State Doctrine and Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act Do Not Necessarily insulate a Foreign Government from Civil Liability for the Assassination of a Person on United States Soil - Liu v. Republic of China, slip op. No. 85-7461 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 11, 1986)

Political Offense Exception does not Apply to Bar Extradition if Offenses are Committed Where no Uprising Exists--Quinn v. Robinson, 783 F.2d 776 (9th Cir. 1986).

United States Courts have no Authority to Enforce Foreign Judgments when the Request for Judicial Assistance is made via Letters Rogatory Filed Directly in the Court, In Re Civil Rogatory Letters …

Book Review, George M. Armstrong, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Shakespeare, King Henry VI Part II, act IV, sc. 2.

The thoroughness of any social revolution might be measured by the degree to which the revolutionaries follow Dick the butcher's advice. Lawyers are often considered one of the principal bulwarks of the established order, perhaps its best unarmed defenders. A revolution, the transfer of political power from one social class to another, usually involves the liquidation of the lawyers as Well as the criminal and civil codes which are their tools.

The anomalous survival of the Russian bar after the …

Human Rights In Africa: Observations On The Implications Of Economic Priority, Minasse Haile

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Serious internal obstacles also block adequate realization of civil and political rights in Africa. The colonial legacy, rising popular expectations for a better life, subversion from abroad and the absence of strong national cohesion will engender political instability in African political systems that give free rein to the exercise of civil and political rights. Moreover, even if one assumes a democratic political system would be viable politically, that system may succumb to demands for increased consumption rather than promote adequate investment in infrastructure. In either event, democratic political systems will tend to be unstable, with the result that economic development …

Private International Law As A Means To Control The Multinational Enterprise, Dimitris Tzouganatos

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Article explores the different approaches taken by the academic and judicial communities of Germany and the United States in their respective attempts to derive the optimal legal policy to deal with the multinational enterprise phenomenon. It attempts to assess the success of the Private International Law method as applied in most European countries by examining whether its criteria are operational and a reflection of economic reality. The Article also analyzes whether application of such criteria ensures the enforcement of the policies of the forum. It concludes by questioning whether the Private International Law approach is a viable alternative to …

Opinion Of Counsel On Agreements Governed By Foreign Law, Michael Gruson, Michael Kutschera

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

An opinion delivered as a condition precedent to the effectiveness of an agreement serves the purpose of assuring the opinion recipient of the correctness of the legal assumptions on which he bases his decision whether or not to enter into the agreement. In case of a transborder agreement, the laws of more than one country apply to various aspects of the transaction even if the agreement contains an express governing law clause, and the opinions of lawyers from the relevant countries must, if read together, cover all important legal issues. On the other hand, each lawyer must limit his opinion …

New Exemptions From Withholding Of Federal Income Taxes On Compensation Paid To Nonresident Aliens, Kenneth R. Meyers

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The exemptions available in the 1984 regulations will benefit nonresident aliens receiving compensation for personal services. The exemptions will allow nonresident aliens to receive more of their compensation while they are in the United States, and, in turn, will enable them to spend more of it in the United States. The exemptions are substantially broader and more generous than the narrow exemptions previously available. If a nonresident alien avails himself of the final payment exemption or the withholding agreement exemption, if he is to receive income from United States and foreign sources from one withholding agent, the required negotiations with …

The Concept Of Citizenship: Challenging South Africa's Policy, Joe W. (Chip) Pitts Iii

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The concept of citizenship has come to represent the full cluster of civil rights held by individuals as members of modern states. Therefore, of all the "reforms" undertaken by South Africa in response to the economic and political instability of the last two years, the most potentially far reaching was State President P. W. Botha's announcement that citizenship would be restored' to South African blacks. In September 1985, Botha affirmed that some form of citizenship would be extended to all South Africans. Finally, on July 2, 1986, the South African government passed The Restoration of South African Citizenship Act."

Case Digest, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERS OF CLERGY OF VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS LACK STANDING TO CHALLENGE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE VATICAN

--Americans United for Separation of Church and State v. Reagan, 786 F.2d 194 (3d Cir.1986)

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EVEN THOUGH PROCEEDINGS IN THE FOREIGN FORUM MAY TAKE MORE TIME AND MAY YIELD A SMALLER RECOVERY THAN PROCEEDING IN THE UNITED STATES FORUM, THE FOREIGN FORUM MAY BE CONSIDERED AN ADEQUATE FORUM FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE FORRUM NON CONVENIENS DOCTRINE

--De Melo v. Lederle Laboratories, 801 F.2d 1058 (8th Cir. 1986)

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ASSERTION OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION IN CALIFORNIA OVER AN …

Books Received, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Books Received

THE WORLD OF SCIENCE AND THE RULE OF LAW

By John Ziman, Paul Sieghart, and John Humphrey

New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Pp. viii, 343. $37.00

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ESSAYS ON INTERNATIONAL LAW

By Stuart S. Malawer

Buffalo: William S. Hein & Co., 1986. Pp. ix, 201. $35.00

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THE IMF IN A CHANGING WORLD, 1945-85

By Margarett Garritsen deVries

Washington: International Monetary Fund, 1986. Pp. x,226

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SOVIET LAW AND SOVIET REALITY

By Olimpiad S. Ioffe

Dordrecht: Martinus Nijohoff Publishers, 1985. Pp. vi, 234

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SWITZERLAND'S ROLE AS AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER

By Benedicte Vibe Christensen

Washington: International …

United States-Based Multinational Corporations Should Be Tried In The United States For Their Extraterritorial Toxic Torts, Dianna B. Shew

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

When a foreign plaintiff sues a United States-based multinational for damages resulting from an extraterritorial toxic tort, the case should be tried in United States courts. The courts are assured of personal jurisdiction as long as there are sufficient contacts between the foreign subsidiary and the United States. Dismissal on grounds of forum non conveniens is not desirable because the United States has a vested interest in monitoring and even influencing the behavior of multinationals that do business within its borders. The requisite "adequate alternative forum" is simply not available in some countries. In addition, despite their case backload, United …

Merger And Acquisition Activities In Japan: The Present And The Future, Mitsuru Misawa

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Merger and acquisition are expected to generate increasing interest in industrial circles throughout Japan. Those who argue in favor of mergers and acquisitions emphasize that these activities will help rejuvenate the economy of Japan through the revitalization of corporate management and the efficient reallocation of resources. Some commentators are strongly in favor of takeover bids and argue that aggressive takeover bids will lead to the revitalization of the individual corporations targeted for acquisition through the arousal of top officials of the targets.

Critics charge, on the other hand, that only raiders, lawyers and speculators find takeover bids profitable. Some complain …

The Export Administration Amendments Act Of 1985, Donald H. Caldwell, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note analyzes the EAAA and the administrative regulations it subsequently engendered; it also evaluates their success as of February 1987 in easing the burden of export controls and improving security over United States technological assets. In addition, it considers several complex issues at the heart of export control that Congress fails to address in the EAAA and the consequences of legislative silence in the national security area. Finally, it proposes changes in export control administration and policy that Congress should consider before the EAA comes up for reauthorization in September 1989.

Section II examines the development of United States …

Book Note, Covey T. Oliver

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Students of international law in the United States have long desired a textbook to accompany the use of one or another of the "case-materials-problems" study books used in their courses. They do not yet have such a text,' but now they can find substantial degrees of security, guidance, and intellectual encouragement in a veritable gem of a Nutshell. Professors Buergenthal and Maier have written a remarkably accurate and insightful book on international law, almost as if they had engraved it on a small gold tablet. It is, as a work, outstanding in the West Publishing Company Nutshell series.

Books Received, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Books Received

Consensus and Confrontation: The United States and the Law of the Sea Convention

By Jon M. Van Dyke.

Honolulu: The Law of the Sea Institute, University of Hawaii, 1985. Pp. x, 576. $29.50

Free Flow of Information; A New Paradigm. By Achal Mehra

Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1986. Pp. xiii, 225. $32.95

The Fund Agreement in the Courts, Volume III. By Joseph Gold Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 1986. Pp. xvi, 841.$45.00

A Standard for Justice; A Critical Commentary on the Proposed Bill of Rights for New Zealand

By Jerome B. Elkind and Antony Shaw

New York: Oxford …

Bankruptcy Law Of The People's Republic Of China: Principle, Procedure & Practice, Henry R. Zheng

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Enterprise Bankruptcy Law of the People's Republic of China (For Trial Use) (the National Act), promulgated on December 2, 1986, is the first bankruptcy legislation applicable nationwide in the People's Republic of China (PRC or China). At the same time, some regional governments have also enacted regional bankruptcy laws with very limited geographic application. The National Act applies only to state-owned Chinese enterprises, while one regional bankruptcy regulation applies exclusively to foreign investment enterprises." The PRC thus has developed two parallel bankruptcy regimes. The introduction of a bankruptcy system in China represents a significant development in the economic relationship …

The Enterprise Bankruptcy Law Of The People's Republic Of China (For Trial Use): A Translation, Henry R. Zheng

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Art. 1. This law is enacted to meet the need for development of the planned socialist commodity economy and for economic reform, to promote the independence of business management of the enterprises under the ownership by the whole people, to strengthen the system of economic responsibility and democratic management, to improve business management and economic performance, and to protect the lawful rights and interests of debtors and creditors. Art. 2. This law applies to enterprises under the ownership of the whole people.

Art. 3. Enterprises that sustain serious loss due to inappropriate management and that are unable to pay off …

Case Digest, Law Review Stafrf

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Pursuant to the United States-France Estate Tax Treaty, the estate of a United States citizen who was domiciled in France is liable to the United States for taxes on real property located in France at rates effective when the citizen died provided the estate receives credit for the estate taxes paid to France

Norstar Bank of Upstate New York v. United States,644 F. Supp. 1112 (N.D.N.Y. 1986).

Political Question

Doctrine bars judicial consideration of claims that the United States mines placed in the Nicaraguan harbor of Corinto damaged a Norwegian ship. Krig-sforsikring for Skib, gjensidingforening (The Norwegian War Risk Insurance …

Nazi War Criminals In The United States: It's Never Too Late For Justice, David R. Gelfand

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

While this note focuses on Nazi war criminals living in the United States, it calls for international cooperation in prosecuting war criminals. It traces the history of post-war agreements relating to the prosecution of Nazi war criminals, and their application at the Nuremberg Trials. This note then examines how Nazi war criminals entered the United States following World War II, and how they have lived here for four decades virtually unnoticed. Additionally, this note analyzes the recent efforts of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), a branch of the Department of Justice, to prosecute Nazi war criminals living in the …

Book Review, Allaire U. Karzon

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This slim volume' is for the international tax connoisseur. The author, an English barrister and member of the Inner Temple and Gray's Inn, has designed his book for tax professionals already expert in their own jurisdictions who seek information on the tax systems of other countries so that they can take advantage of multijurisdictional planning. Because he assumes his readers know the rudiments of international tax principles, the author explores more innovative advanced techniques. With his British perspective and evident familiarity with the United Kingdom and continental tax systems, he suggests many approaches that United States authors frequently omit because …

Special Project--Feast Or Famine: Issues, Problems, And Procedures Relating To Massive Relief Efforts With A Focus On The African Crisis, Peggy F. Brandenburg, Susan N. Burgess, Scott N. Greenspun, Sharon M. Janarek, Patrick M. Thomas, Linda L. Kotis

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

"The profound promise of our era is that for the first time we may have the technical capacity to free mankind from the scourge of hunger. Therefore, today we must proclaim a bold objective--that within a decade no child will go to bed hungry, that no family will fear for its next day's bread, and that no human being's future and capacities will be stunted by malnutrition."

One decade later, the ongoing drought and famine in Ethiopia, Chad, Mozambique and other African countries cruelly portray the failure of that promise. Each year, millions of dollars worth of aid, much of …

Jurisdiction Over Foreign Governments, Melissa L. Werthan, Nancie L. Combs, Jeffrey L. Deitch, Anita L. Fuoss

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Passage of the FSIA in 1976 codified the restrictive theory of sovereign immunity, which provides that a foreign state will re-main immune from suit for its public acts but will lose immunity for its private and commercial acts. By placing the determination of a foreign government's immunity in the hands of the judiciary, Congress attempted to standardize an area of the law that had been governed by political relations between the United States and foreign governments.

The FSIA is the exclusive mechanism through which private parties can seek redress against foreign governments in United States courts. The Act provides a …

Was The Sigh Of Relief Premature? The Investment Canada Act, Susan D. Romer

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

On June 30, 1985 the Canadian Government enacted the Investment Canada Act (ICA), evoking a sigh of relief from the United States in vestment community. ICA replaced the Foreign Investment Review Act (FIRA). Burdensome Canadian regulations have impeded foreign investment in Canada throughout the last two decades. FIRA, in particular, blocked the free flow of foreign investment into Canada. In contrast, ICA's primary goal is "to encourage an inflow of capital and technology into Canada." As a result, United States investors have openly embraced ICA's arrival.

Once the initial euphoria wanes, however, and the United States investment community encounters ICA …