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University of Washington School of Law

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Full-Text Articles in Comparative and Foreign Law

Trading The People's Homes For The People's Olympics: The Property Regime In China, Theresa H. Wang Jun 2006

Trading The People's Homes For The People's Olympics: The Property Regime In China, Theresa H. Wang

Washington International Law Journal

China is under increasing international scrutiny as the country’s economic growth launches the previously isolated nation onto the world stage. As the national wealth increases at a record rate, the government is constantly modifying strategies to ensure its economic stability. In response to this nearly unmanageable growth, entire Chinese cities are remodeled and progressively more privatized, while urban dwellers are evicted from their homes in the name of economic development. These urban land acquisitions often occur with little or no compensation, while private developers reap the economic benefits. These policies follow a pattern of development replayed throughout history, notably in …


The President Refuses To Cohabit: Semi-Presidentialism In Taiwan, Thomas Weishing Huang Jun 2006

The President Refuses To Cohabit: Semi-Presidentialism In Taiwan, Thomas Weishing Huang

Washington International Law Journal

French constitutional practices suggest that cohabitation between the president and the prime minister, where the latter is the leader of the opposition majority in parliament, creates a workable governmental relationship. Taiwan’s constitutional practice indicates, however, that a minority government, although it does not command the majority in parliament, may nevertheless survive if the system of semipresidentialism is flawed. Instead of having the flexibility to change the government whenever it loses the confidence of parliament, minority governments under semipresidentialism in Taiwan exhibit all the rigidity created by gridlock between the executive and the legislature. This gridlock is caused by fixed terms …


Australia's "New Arrangements In Indigenous Affairs": A New Approach Or A New Paternalism?, Joshua M. Piper Feb 2006

Australia's "New Arrangements In Indigenous Affairs": A New Approach Or A New Paternalism?, Joshua M. Piper

Washington International Law Journal

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (“ATSIC”) opened its doors in 1990 with the main objectives of advising the Australian Commonwealth Government (“Government”) on Indigenous policy and providing services for Indigenous communities and individuals. Fifteen years later, with Indigenous living standards still well behind other Australians, the Government deemed ATSIC a failure and abruptly gutted and abolished the Commission. At the same time, the government transitioned to its New Arrangements in Indigenous Affairs program (“New Arrangements”). The New Arrangements are based on two fundamental ideas: better coordination between governments and agencies; and, most important, engaging and empowering Indigenous communities …


Aids Prevention And The Right To Health Under International Law: Burma As The Hard Case, Rhianna M. Fronapfel Feb 2006

Aids Prevention And The Right To Health Under International Law: Burma As The Hard Case, Rhianna M. Fronapfel

Washington International Law Journal

Many commentators suggest that states have a human rights obligation to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS within their borders. Specifically, state HIV/AIDS prevention obligations are often premised on the “right to health” contained within many international human rights documents. Other approaches encourage states to implement AIDS prevention measures by emphasizing the detrimental effects of AIDS on economies and national and international security instead. Many commentators who adhere to the health-and-human-rights model, however, reject such other approaches as overly concerned with the interests of developed countries and lacking the ethical focus that underlies health and human rights. Implicit in such arguments …


It's All The Rage: Popular Uprisings And Philippine Democracy, Dante B. Gatmaytan Feb 2006

It's All The Rage: Popular Uprisings And Philippine Democracy, Dante B. Gatmaytan

Washington International Law Journal

Massive peaceful demonstrations ended the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines twenty years ago. The “people power” uprising was called a democratic revolution and inspired hopes that it would lead to the consolidation of democracy in the Philippines. When popular uprisings were later used to remove or threaten other leaders, people power was criticized as an assault on democratic institutions and was interpreted as a sign of the political immaturity of Filipinos. The literature on people power is presently marked by disagreement as to whether all popular uprisings should be considered part of the people power tradition. The …


Legal Market Liberalization In South Korea: Preparations For Change, Hyung Tae Kim Feb 2006

Legal Market Liberalization In South Korea: Preparations For Change, Hyung Tae Kim

Washington International Law Journal

South Korea’s World Trade Organization membership requires the “Land of the Morning Calm” to liberalize its legal market. South Korea submitted its proposal for liberalization in the spring of 2003 and planned to begin opening its legal market in 2005. However, disagreements between South Korea and other World Trade Organization members over the scope of liberalization have led to a one-year negotiation period extension, pushing back the planned market opening to early 2007. The Korean Bar Association has strongly opposed liberalization, claiming that liberalization will lead to the foreign domination of South Korea’s legal market. On the other hand, most …


The Current State Of Equity Investments By Foreign Funds [In South Korea] And Related Legal Issues, Hee Chul Kang, Eugene Kim Feb 2006

The Current State Of Equity Investments By Foreign Funds [In South Korea] And Related Legal Issues, Hee Chul Kang, Eugene Kim

Washington International Law Journal

On September 15, 2004, the South Korean press gave extensive news coverage to a series of private individual “Question & Answer” session meetings which the Capital Group Companies Fund (“Capital Group”) held with many of the top chief executive officers (“CEOs”) of major Korean corporations. Known worldwide as a top U.S. private equity management company, the Capital Group is currently the largest institutional investor in South Korea. As a major shareholder of large corporations such as Samsung Electronics, the Shin Han Financial Group, SK Group, and Hyundai Motors, the U.S. investment firm invited their CEOs to address questions and seek …


Creating A System For Citizen Participation: How The Nonprofit Sector Can Provide Citizens A Voice In Tokyo's Urban Development System, Nicolas J. Vikstrom Feb 2006

Creating A System For Citizen Participation: How The Nonprofit Sector Can Provide Citizens A Voice In Tokyo's Urban Development System, Nicolas J. Vikstrom

Washington International Law Journal

Recent changes in Japan’s civil society together with the current political and economic environment have created the first opportunity to develop a viable nonprofit sector that represents citizen interests and allows for public participation in Tokyo’s urban development scheme. Tokyo’s urban environment has failed to meet the social and cultural needs of its citizens due to unprecedented economic and industrial growth from the beginning of the Meiji era until the 1990s. Through this extended period of growth, the goal for urban development was solely to increase Tokyo’s economic strength, while social needs were not addressed. While the City Planning Law …


Prospects For Citizen Participation In Criminal Trials In Japan, Colin P.A. Jones Feb 2006

Prospects For Citizen Participation In Criminal Trials In Japan, Colin P.A. Jones

Washington International Law Journal

A review of The Lay Judge System, by Takashi Maruta (2004).


Form Over Substance: The Inadequacy Of Informed Consent And Ethical Review For Thai Injection Drug Users Enrolled In Hiv Vaccine Trials, Joan M. Doherty Feb 2006

Form Over Substance: The Inadequacy Of Informed Consent And Ethical Review For Thai Injection Drug Users Enrolled In Hiv Vaccine Trials, Joan M. Doherty

Washington International Law Journal

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (“AIDS”) has emerged as a health issue of global significance, and clinical research on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (“HIV”) and AIDS has become increasingly international in scope. A clinical trial of a vaccine designed to prevent the spread of the HIV raises important legal and ethical questions because injection drug users who were believed to be unsuitable subjects for study in the United States were singled out for research in Thailand. The protections for human subjects must not be compromised when U.S. pharmaceutical companies conduct research abroad, particularly where clinical trials are conducted in vulnerable populations. U.S. …


Australian Insolvency Law And The 1992 Isda Master Agreement—Catalyst, Reaction, And Solution, Christopher J. Mertens Feb 2006

Australian Insolvency Law And The 1992 Isda Master Agreement—Catalyst, Reaction, And Solution, Christopher J. Mertens

Washington International Law Journal

The reverberations of Enron’s financial collapse were heard on an international scale. Indeed, Enron Australia’s liquidation set off a flood of concern and speculation about the International Swaps and Derivatives Association’s (“ISDA”) model documentation for derivative transactions. A December 2003 opinion of the Supreme Court of New South Wales exposed a flaw in the ISDA 1992 Master Agreement. Two provisions of the agreement operate in tandem, creating a result which operates contrary to the clear meaning of the terms. This volatile interaction of the provisions effectively shifts the risk from the parties to the swap contract to the creditors of …


Restoration Constitutionalism In The South Pacific, Venkat Iyer Feb 2006

Restoration Constitutionalism In The South Pacific, Venkat Iyer

Washington International Law Journal

The dilemmas confronting societies which move from a period of authoritarian rule to liberal democracy have increasingly engaged the attention of academic experts and policy-makers alike. One issue which has received comparatively less notice, however, is the phenomenon of “restoration constitutionalism,” i.e. the process by which the transitional society is sought to be returned to the constitutional order that predated the authoritarian rule. Recent events in Fiji offer a good example of how this process works in practice. This article looks at the relationship between constitutionalism and transitional regimes, and argues that, where the “rupture” in a constitutional order is …


The Use Of Tandem Mass Spectrometry In Newborn Screening: Australia's Experience And Its Implications For United States Policy, Lauren E. Fisher Feb 2006

The Use Of Tandem Mass Spectrometry In Newborn Screening: Australia's Experience And Its Implications For United States Policy, Lauren E. Fisher

Washington International Law Journal

In recent years, the United States has drastically increased the number of disorders screened through its newborn screening programs. This increase is made possible by the adoption of new a technology, the tandem mass spectrometer (“MS/MS”), which allows screening of up to thirty disorders from a single drop of a newborn’s blood. However, such rapid expansion of screening raises concerns regarding the purpose of the screening, as well as the current practices in place for obtaining informed consent. Similar expansion in Australia provides a model of one approach to address these difficult questions. As the first country to begin using …


Using International Law More Effectively To Secure And Advance Indigenous Peoples' Rights: Towards Enforcement In U.S. And Australian Domestic Courts, John D. Smelcer Feb 2006

Using International Law More Effectively To Secure And Advance Indigenous Peoples' Rights: Towards Enforcement In U.S. And Australian Domestic Courts, John D. Smelcer

Washington International Law Journal

Over the past three decades, indigenous peoples have effected a remarkable redefinition of their status and rights under international law, giving rise to an emerging distinct customary international law of indigenous peoples’ rights. Though that process is ongoing, the next critical step is enforcing these congealing rights “at home” in the domestic courts of indigenous peoples’ surrounding nations. Australia and the United States provide the most difficult and most revealing contexts in which to explore the possibilities and limitations of this necessary next step. The direct enforcement of the emerging customary international law of indigenous peoples’ rights is not yet …


Forces Driving And Shaping Legal Training Reform In Japan, Daniel H. Foote Jan 2006

Forces Driving And Shaping Legal Training Reform In Japan, Daniel H. Foote

Articles

After canvassing the history of, and rationale for, legal training reform, the article examines the recommendations of the Justice System Reform Council. It then examines some of the forces that led to the reforms; some of those forces that helped shape the reforms; and the major aspects of the reforms themselves. The second half of the article undertakes an initial assessment of the first year of operation of the new system, focusing on the University of Tokyo, and based upon the author's first-hand experience.


The Supreme Constitutional Court Of Egypt On Islamic Law, Veiling And Civil Rights: An Annotated Translation Of Supreme Constitutional Court Of Egypt Case No. 8 Of Judicial Year 17, Clark B. Lombardi, Nathan J. Brown Jan 2006

The Supreme Constitutional Court Of Egypt On Islamic Law, Veiling And Civil Rights: An Annotated Translation Of Supreme Constitutional Court Of Egypt Case No. 8 Of Judicial Year 17, Clark B. Lombardi, Nathan J. Brown

Articles

The jurisprudence of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt is creative and influential in the Arab world. Among its opinions, Case No. 8 of Judicial Year 17, decided on May 18, 1996, is particularly interesting. In this opinion, the SCC argues that a regulation on face-veiling in public schools is consistent not only with Islamic law, but with the Egyptian Constitution's guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of expression. Not only does it illustrate the SCC's approach to Islamic legal reasoning, but it gives insight into the Court's views with respect to civil and political rights. The case also …


Getting Away With Murder: Guatemala's Failure To Protect Women And Rodi Alvarado's Quest For Safety, Angélica Cházaro Jan 2006

Getting Away With Murder: Guatemala's Failure To Protect Women And Rodi Alvarado's Quest For Safety, Angélica Cházaro

Articles

This report examines the underlying conditions that cause women like Rodi to flee their home countries and seek protection elsewhere. The report starts with a description of the circumstances that led Rodi to leave Guatemala. It then analyzes the widespread violence against and murders of women in Guatemala, specifically focusing on the number of murders, the victims, the brutality of the crimes, the context in which they occur, and the theories behind the murders. It next looks to the aspects of the Guatemalan legal and judicial systems that render women vulnerable to violence and then fail to protect them. It …


The Japanese Antimonopoly Act And Nonassertion Of Patents Provisions: Microsoft's Conflict With The Japan Fair Trade Commission, Courtney E. Mertes Jun 2005

The Japanese Antimonopoly Act And Nonassertion Of Patents Provisions: Microsoft's Conflict With The Japan Fair Trade Commission, Courtney E. Mertes

Washington International Law Journal

In recent decades, Japan has strengthened its antimonopoly regulations. Now, a country that historically favored internal collusion continues to develop a stringent antimonopoly regime that encourages competition. The Japan Fair Trade Commission ("JFTC") enforces the Japanese Act Concerning the Prohibition of Private Monopoly and the Maintenance of Fair Trade ("Antimonopoly Act") and its provisions dealing with unfair trade practices. The JFTC takes a strong stance in enforcement of the Act and violators follow its recommendations. The JFTC has charged Microsoft Corporation ("Microsoft") with abuse of a dominant bargaining position and unfair trade practices in its use of restrictive provisions, such …


State Responsibility And Maritime Terrorism In The Strait Of Malacca: Persuading Indonesia And Malaysia To Take Additional Steps To Secure The Strait, Tammy M. Sittnick Jun 2005

State Responsibility And Maritime Terrorism In The Strait Of Malacca: Persuading Indonesia And Malaysia To Take Additional Steps To Secure The Strait, Tammy M. Sittnick

Washington International Law Journal

The Strait of Malacca, located between Indonesia and Malaysia, and opening into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Singapore, is not only one of the world's busiest and most vital waterways, but also a likely target for maritime terrorists. High levels of piracy and the presence of numerous regional terrorist organizations suggest the Strait is particularly vulnerable to a maritime terrorist attack. Such an attack would significantly disrupt international trade and could inflict billions of dollars in damage to the global economy. Primary responsibility for the security of the Strait lies with the coastal states of Indonesia, Malaysia, and …


Extreme Policy Makeover: Re-Evaluating Current U.S.-Vietnam Relations Under The International Religious Freedom Act, Kevin V. Tu Jun 2005

Extreme Policy Makeover: Re-Evaluating Current U.S.-Vietnam Relations Under The International Religious Freedom Act, Kevin V. Tu

Washington International Law Journal

Following the signing of the Paris Peace Accord in 1973, the relationship between the United States and Vietnam remained essentially frozen. In 2000, the signing of the United States-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement was an epic step in the normalization of relations. In addition, the BTA was hailed as a means of effectuating positive change in the area of Vietnam's human rights. Unfortunately, the state of religious freedom in Vietnam has deteriorated while economic ties with the United States have strengthened. Despite Vietnam's purported respect for religious freedom, violations continue. Vietnam restricts the practice of religion, detains religious leaders, and tolerates …


Enriching The Land Or The Political Elite? Lessons From China On Democratization Of The Urban Renewal Process, Pamela N. Phan Jun 2005

Enriching The Land Or The Political Elite? Lessons From China On Democratization Of The Urban Renewal Process, Pamela N. Phan

Washington International Law Journal

As China in the twenty-first century rushes ahead in its quest to become more developed and cosmopolitan, the poor are increasingly cast as outsiders to the nation's new social contract and urban development politics. Nowhere is the contrast between China's urban rich and rural poor as stark as on the land itself. In cities throughout China, land continues to be taken away from the collective and placed into the hands of an increasingly rich and powerful elite. As a new society built upon urban poverty, exclusion, and inequality emerges, and the gap between rich and poor widens, the new political …


Australia's Damaging International Trade Practice: The Case Against Cruelty To Greyhounds, Alison G. Jones Jun 2005

Australia's Damaging International Trade Practice: The Case Against Cruelty To Greyhounds, Alison G. Jones

Washington International Law Journal

The Australian greyhound racing industry is capitalizing on newly emerging markets in countries such as China and South Korea. The industry's drive to profit from promoting greyhound racing in these countries has put the welfare of greyhounds at risk. By exporting these dogs to China and South Korea, Australia is violating the spirit and general intent of its own animal cruelty laws, which guard against the type of animal abuse that occurs largely unchecked in those countries. Therefore, Australia should put an end to such exports as soon as possible. Under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ("GATT"), Australia …


Regulation On Sino-Foreign Cooperation In Making Television Programs, Litong Chen Jun 2005

Regulation On Sino-Foreign Cooperation In Making Television Programs, Litong Chen

Washington International Law Journal

The Chinese Government traditionally has believed that the voices of adversaries, whether foreign or domestic, should not be heard. The Preamble to the Chinese Constitution states that, "The Chinese people must fight against those forces and elements, both at home and abroad, that are hostile to China's socialist system and try to undermine it."' The beachhead which has been regarded as most critical for the Communist Party of China ("CPC") to defend is China's mass media—the CPC's mouthpiece for its ideological rhetoric. Conventionally, the best way to keep a beachhead is to repel the enemy from its shores. Historically, China …


Follow The Leader?: Japan Should Formally Abolish The Execution Of The Mentally Retarded In The Wake Of Atkins V. Virginia, Simon H. Fisherow Apr 2005

Follow The Leader?: Japan Should Formally Abolish The Execution Of The Mentally Retarded In The Wake Of Atkins V. Virginia, Simon H. Fisherow

Washington International Law Journal

Japan is the only industrialized democracy in the world to not explicitly proscribe the execution of the mentally retarded. In the face of opposition from both international bodies and non-governmental organizations, Japan persists in engaging in a practice condemned by both international law and the laws of the vast majority of the world's nations. Even the United States, a nation that remains staunchly pro-death penalty, abandoned its practice of executing the mentally retarded in 2002 due to the emergence of a national consensus against the practice. This Comment examines Japan's use of the death penalty and its imposition on mentally …


Ethical Standards Of Japanese Lawyers: Translation Of The Ethics Codes For Six Categories Of Legal Service Providers, Kyoko Ishida Apr 2005

Ethical Standards Of Japanese Lawyers: Translation Of The Ethics Codes For Six Categories Of Legal Service Providers, Kyoko Ishida

Washington International Law Journal

Today, Japanese attorneys and so-called "quasi-lawyers" (jun hōritsuka) face significant regulatory reforms to the legal services they provide. The justice system reform (shihō seido kaikaku) significantly expanded the scope of practice for quasi-lawyers in order to meet the country's growing need for legal assistance. Also, in November 2004 attorneys established new ethical standards which also apply to registered foreign business attorneys for the preparation of upcoming increase of population of attorneys. In contrast to the United States, where attorneys provide legal services almost exclusively, there are several licensed legal service providers other than attorneys (bengoshi …


Forsaking The Forests For The Trees: Forestry Law In Papua New Guinea Inhibits Indigenous Customary Ownership, Alyssa A. Vegter Apr 2005

Forsaking The Forests For The Trees: Forestry Law In Papua New Guinea Inhibits Indigenous Customary Ownership, Alyssa A. Vegter

Washington International Law Journal

Illegal logging in the tropical forests of Papua New Guinea is one of the greatest threats to the forests and indigenous people of this island nation. Increasing pressure from the commercial logging industry, legislation that restrains customary ownership, and an unclear legal basis for this ownership subjects the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea to unscrupulous, unsustainable, and illegal logging practices. As a region central to the preservation of global ecological and cultural diversity, the devastating consequences of illegal logging in Papua New Guinea have become nationally and internationally significant. Customary ownership of the forests by the indigenous clans of …


China's War On Graft: Politico-Legal Campaigns Against Corruption In China And Their Similarities To The Legal Reactions To Crisis In The U.S., Benjamin Van Rooij Apr 2005

China's War On Graft: Politico-Legal Campaigns Against Corruption In China And Their Similarities To The Legal Reactions To Crisis In The U.S., Benjamin Van Rooij

Washington International Law Journal

In the last two decades, China organized political campaigns to fight corruption. Such campaigns led to an increased prosecution of high-profile cases involving high-level officials. Perceived corruption in China, however, has not decreased as a result, because the campaigns failed to address widespread lower-level incidents. China's political campaigns against corruption—the politico-legal campaigns—are an example of the use of political methods to enhance the legal system. China has organized several politico-legal campaigns to promote public awareness of legal issues and combat crimes, including illegal drug trade, copyright infringements, and environmental violations. The Chinese politico-legal campaigns show that China needs its effective …


Stepping Onto A Moving Train: The Collision Of Illegal Logging, Forestry Policy, And Emerging Free Trade In The Russian Far East, Robert M. Crowley Apr 2005

Stepping Onto A Moving Train: The Collision Of Illegal Logging, Forestry Policy, And Emerging Free Trade In The Russian Far East, Robert M. Crowley

Washington International Law Journal

Faced with economic decline following the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia is energetically seeking ways to develop its economy and stimulate trade. In order to accomplish these goals, Russia has taken a number of steps to improve its interactions with its trading partners and reform its internal economic structures. Among the most sweeping areas of change are Russia's steps toward bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements and the proposed changes to its Forest Code. Externally, Russia has signed an agreement with China to stabilize relations, increase trade, and address shared environmental concerns, and has taken steps toward membership in the World …


Up In Smoke: Using Cooperative U.S. Forest Fire Management Policies As A Model For Implementing An Effective Forest Fire Prevention Program In The Russian Far East, Jim Wilkson Apr 2005

Up In Smoke: Using Cooperative U.S. Forest Fire Management Policies As A Model For Implementing An Effective Forest Fire Prevention Program In The Russian Far East, Jim Wilkson

Washington International Law Journal

The Russian Far East's ("RFE") most abundant natural resource is its vast, relatively unbroken tracts of boreal forest. Wildfires are the largest cause of deforestation in the RFE. Rampant fires in the RFE threaten biodiversity and wildlife habitat, destroy timber reserves, and create pollution and greenhouse gases. Experts estimate that between eighty to ninety percent of these fires are human-caused. However, Russian forestry laws fail to provide the type of legal framework necessary to adequately address these preventable fires. Forest management legislation mandating more comprehensive and cooperative fire prevention could prevent disastrous forest fires in the RFE. U.S. fire management …


U.S. Economic Sanctions Against North Korea: An Unsuccessful And Sanctimonious Policy Ripe For Modification, Karen M. Takishita Apr 2005

U.S. Economic Sanctions Against North Korea: An Unsuccessful And Sanctimonious Policy Ripe For Modification, Karen M. Takishita

Washington International Law Journal

The United States designated North Korea as a state supporter of terrorism under the Export Administration Act of 1979, after the North Korean bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987. As a result, the United States imposed tough economic sanctions against North Korea. Today, North Korea retains the designation of a state supporter of terrorism as a result of its weapons trade, even though it is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since 1987. The United States' designation of a state as a supporter of terrorism is arbitrary as no standard is set out in the U.S. …