Comparative and Foreign Law Commons^™

Legal War: When Does It Exist, And When Does It End, John Alan Cohan

UC Law SF International Law Review

The popular conception of war is clearly different from war in the legal sense. It is important to ascertain when war in the formal, legal sense (Legal War) exists because various legal consequences attach. However, when a Legal War exists between belligerent states is far from certain. Few wars are waged pursuant to a formal declaration, and there is substantial disagreement as to when a Legal War has ended. Further complicating the problem, governments have engaged in significant armed conflicts while vigorously denying a state of war has existed between them, notwithstanding the obvious state of belligerency, the engagement of …

Preemption, Prevention And Anticipatory Self-Defense: New Law Regarding Recourse To Force, Thomas M. Franck

UC Law SF International Law Review

On September 17, 2002, the National Security Strategy was published. This paper outlines the reach of the Strategy, focusing on the extent it creates new ground in asserting a right to use "preemptive" force. Traditional notions of anticipatory self-defense, found in the Caroline Doctrine, have been extended such that the Strategy allows the United States to respond with force to "rogue states before they are able to threaten" an attack. But, who has the right to determine whether a state may someday constitute a threat?

Professor Franck's Lament, Abraham D. Sofaer

UC Law SF International Law Review

Not only does the National Security Strategy rely on the use of force, but it also advocates other means of achieving security, such as diplomacy and alliances. In contrast to Professor Franck, this paper defends the approach the Bush Administration has taken with regards to the National Security Strategy. The text of the Strategy does not give the United States the power to use force whenever it feel that its superiority is threatened. The U.N. Charter also does not prohibit a state from using force to preserve the integrity of that state.

Unipolar Disorder: A European Perspective On U.S. Security Strategy, Diane Marie Amann

UC Law SF International Law Review

The publication of the National Security Strategy provoked debate throughout the United States and Europe. This paper examines the Strategy from a European viewpoint; a perspective that prefers dialogue to dictate. By examining the United States' actions through the eyes of Europeans, the United States may better understand its audience, and itself.

The Bush Doctrine: Making Or Breaking Customary International Law, Joel R. Paul

UC Law SF International Law Review

The international legal system operates to minimize violence. This paper examines whether the Bush Doctrine violates or creates international law. If the Bush Doctrine is understood to mean that only the United States may use force preemptively, then it is not creating law; it is merely a unilateral assertion of power. If, on the other hand, all states may use the Bush Doctrine to act to prevent war, then violence is maximized. In order for the Bush Doctrine to be accepted as law, there must be a limiting principle.

The Rule-Outcome Paradox, Madness Cascades And The Fog Of Preemption: Seeking The Best Rule For Use Of Force, David D. Caron

UC Law SF International Law Review

The National Security Strategy emphasizes outcomes as opposed to process. This paper discusses the differences between those who value process and those who seek immediate answers to a dangerous situation presented before them, particularly in relation to the Bush Administration's actions in Iraq. Those who value process speak in terms of the law and look to see how actions will effect the future. Those who value outcomes will emphasize the reality of the moment. These viewpoints divide the reactions to the Bush Administration's threat prevention use of force doctrine.

Is Capitalism Un-American - An Analysis Of Corporate Inversions And Expatriation Proposals In Response, Eric Tak Han

UC Law SF International Law Review

Reincorporating companies have been called "Benedict Arnold corporations" by many U.S. politicians. However, reincorporation (corporate inversion) reduces a corporation's costs, and therefore, maximizes its profits. This note discusses the tax benefits corporations receive if they reincorporate outside of the United States, and suggests that this reincorporation does not cause a loss of jobs; rather, the decision not to reincorporate may lead to a loss of jobs in the United States, because these domestic corporations cannot compete on the global market. This note looks at the U.S. tax system by comparing two corporations, Tyco International Inc., a company that did reincorporate, …

Venezuela: How A Hydrocarbons Law Crippled An Oil Giant, Stacy Rentner

UC Law SF International Law Review

In November 2001, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez Frias unilaterally enacted the new Decreto con Fuerza de Ley Organica de Hidrocarburos (Hydrocarbons Law), which completely restructured the oil industry, the driving force of Venezuela's economy, for the first time in nearly 60 years. This single-handed restructuring of the country's central industry outraged Venezuelans and proved to be the final blow to Chavez's already waning popularity. In an attempt to convince Chavez to step down from the presidency, Venezuelan oil workers initiated a strike, which was accompanied by a national work stoppage in all areas of the economy. February 2003 marked the …

Forum Selection For International Dispute Resolution In China - Chinese Courts Vs. Cietac, William Heye

UC Law SF International Law Review

The large volume of foreign-invested entities in China has created a need for reliable dispute resolution. Chinese law does not allow for foreign courts or foreign arbitration; as a result, foreign-invested entities must chose between the Chinese courts and the Chinese International Economic Arbitration Commission. However, many foreign parties are skeptical of the Chinese courts, and have chosen arbitration. This note suggests that not only may a satisfactory outcome for a foreign party be possible in the Chinese courts, but that the Chinese courts may be a better option for foreign-invested entities seeking to prevail in a suit against a …

Re-Examining The Role Of Private Property In Market Democracies:Problematic Ideological Issues Raised By Land Registration, Joel M. Ngugi

Michigan Journal of International Law

In the post-1989 world, the primacy of private property is taken for granted. The final fall of communism, it would seem, is an adequate commentary of the supremacy of private property arrangements in facilitating economic development. Debates pitting plan (with its associated appetite for communal or collective property) against market (with its avowed belief in private property) are now considered superfluous. As far as the "Western world" was concerned, it seemed that the task of persuading the rest of the world that private property is the key to efficient market performance and economic development had finally been accomplished. The only …

After Grutter Things Get Interesting! The American Debate Over Affirmative Action Is Finally Ready For Some Fresh Ideas From Abroad, Clark D. Cunningham

Faculty Publications By Year

No abstract provided.

Of Power And Responsibility: The Political Morality Of Federal Systems, Daniel Halberstam

Articles

In comparative constitutional discourse, Americans are from Mars and Europeans from Venus; we eagerly tell our European counterparts about the U.S. constitutional experience, but rarely do we listen when they talk to us about their own. Whereas Europeans routinely examine U.S. constitutionalism as an illuminating point of comparison or contrast, as Americans, we seem convinced that we have nothing to learn from looking abroad. This Article challenges that assumption. In particular, it argues that American courts and scholars have overlooked an important alternative to the dominant interpretation of the division of powers in the United States by ignoring the theory …

Lessons From The French Funding Debate, Kathryn L. Moore

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The French retirement system, like the American social security system, is facing long-term funding difficulties. As a result, the French are debating whether to expand the role of pre-funded retirement plans. The economic arguments presented in this debate are virtually identical to the economic arguments presented in the American debate on whether the American social security system should be partially privatized.

The French and American debates, however, diverge once history and ideology are considered. The French have a history of failed funded pensions in contrast to the United States where the failure of prominent underfunded pension led to the enactment …

Regulatory Frameworks In International Law, Hilary Charlesworth, Christine M. Chinkin

Book Chapters

Regulatory theory is concerned with how various forms of regulation, including law, govern social interaction. Much of the theoretical work on legal regulation has been developed in the context of domestic law. This chapter examines international law in the particular setting of regulation of outsider entities, such as failed and nascent states, that is where international regulation fills the vacuum caused by the collapse of domestic institutions and the rule of law. Through a brief examination of international regulation in Bosnia–Hercegovina and East Timor, this chapter asks what light a regulatory lens sheds on international law. Drawing on Hugh Collins's …

Checks And Balances In Wartime: American British And Israeli Experiences, Stephen J. Schulhofer

Michigan Law Review

Three years after an attack that traumatized the nation and prompted massive military and law-enforcement counter-measures, we continue to wrestle with the central dilemma of the rule of law. Which is more to be feared - the danger of unchecked executive and military power, or the danger of terrorist attacks that only an unconstrained executive could prevent? Posed in varying configurations, the question has already generated extensive litigation since September 11, 2001, and a dozen major appellate rulings. Last Term's Supreme Court trilogy - Rasul v. Bush, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Rumsfeld v. Padilla - clarified several important points …

Introduction: Brief Of Amici Curiae, William S. Dodge

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Brief Of Professors Of Federal Jurisdiction And Legal History As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondents, Nicholas W. Van Aelstyn, William S. Dodge

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Innovative German Approach To Consumer Debt Relief: Revolutionary Changes In German Law, And Surprising Lessons For The United States, 24 Nw. J. Int'l L. & Bus. 257 (2004), Jason Kilborn

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Battle To Establish An Adversarial Trial System In Italy, William T. Pizzi, Mariangela Montagna

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article is intended to bring the U.S. legal community up to date on the attempt in Italy to put in place a more accusatorial trial system. The Article is divided into three sections. Section I describes the central provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure that was adopted in 1988. It shows that a close look at the Italian system reveals that it was never intended to be an exact model of either the U.S. or English trial systems, because it always contained central features that are found in civil law systems on the continent. Rather, the changes in …

Judicial Dialogue For Legal Multiculturalism, Charles H. Koch Jr.

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article asserts that judicial exchange rather than dominance has inherent advantages as a technique for evolving a global legal culture. For insight into the global task, the Article looks first at an internecine struggle within the continental system. For further background, it describes how the U.S. Supreme Court has accommodated deviations from the basic legal model in U.S. administrative law as well as other internal U.S. legal systems. The supranational tribunals in the European setting and U.S. Supreme Court have shown the capacity to engage in dialogues over diverse legal philosophies. These experiences demonstrate the advantages of a mix …

The Political Economy Of Rule Of Law Reform In Developing Countries, Ronald J. Daniels, Michael Trebilcock

Michigan Journal of International Law

In this paper, the authors briefly review the recent experience with rule of law reform initiatives in Latin America, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe, drawing on more detailed case studies by the authors. The authors are currently working on a similar case study on rule of law reform experiences in Asia.

What Can The Rule Of Law Variable Tell Us About Rule Of Law Reforms?, Kevin E. Davis

Michigan Journal of International Law

In 2001 per capita income in Haiti was $480, the infant mortality rate was seventy-nine per 1000 live births and the illiteracy rate (age fifteen and over) hovered around fifty percent. By comparison, in the United States, less than two hours flying time away, the per capita income was $34,280, the infant mortality rate was seven per 1000 live births, and the illiteracy rate was negligible. Understanding the reasons why these sorts of disparities in important measures of development arise and persist is one of the greatest challenges in all of the social sciences.

Traditional Hindu Law In The Guise Of 'Postmodernism:' A Review Article, Donald R. Davis Jr.

Michigan Journal of International Law

Review of Hindu Law: Beyond Tradition and Modernity by Werner F. Menski

Forum Non Conveniens: "Availability" And "Adequacy" Of Latin American Fora From A Comparative Perspective, Alejandro M. Garro

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

No abstract provided.

Home And Homelessness In The Middle Of Nowhere, William I. Miller

Book Chapters

In Iceland one must have a home; it is an offense not to-in some circumstances, a capital offense. A sturdy beggar was liable for full outlawry, which meant he could be killed with impunity. The laws are hard on vagrants. Fornication with a beggar woman was unactionable; it was lawful to castrate a vagabond, and he had no claim if he were injured or killed during the operation. One could take in beggars solely for the purpose of whipping them, nor was one to feed or shelter them at the Thing on pain of lesser outlawry. Their booths at the …

Querying Lawrence, Berta E. Hernández-Truyol

UF Law Faculty Publications

In 2003, the Supreme Court in the landmark decision Lawrence v. Texas found a Texas law, banning homosexual, but not heterosexual, sodomy to be unconstitutional. Thus, Lawrence ended the Bowers era in which morality was deemed to be a justification for discrimination against gays and lesbians. While the decision did bring to United States Constitutional analysis the radical idea that gays and lesbians are people too, it stopped short of addressing the real problem the case presents--the existence of a second-class citizenry. This Article examines the Lawrence decision in light of both the international, regional, and foreign jurisprudence and the …

Comparative Legal Responses To Terrorism: Lessons From Europe, Jeremie J. Wattellier

UC Law SF International Law Review

After September 11, 2001, the U.S. Congress and President initiated legal changes to combat terrorism. In the late 20th century, Europe also experienced terrorist attacks on its soil and initiated legal adaptations. Europe's legal history with terrorism shows that harsh procedure-stripping rules do not stop terrorism and come at great costs in civil liberties and legal clout. More procedural safeguards would bring the U.S. legal response back in line with its traditional legal values while still providing a way to fight terrorism. This note investigates the European legal response to its terrorist attacks-measuring successes and gauging costs where possible-and evaluates …

Trade Treaty Threats And Sub-National Sovereignty: Multilateral Trade Treaties And Their Negligible Impact On State Laws, David I. Spector

UC Law SF International Law Review

Advocates of free trade extol the virtues of trade without borders, while opponents decry its abysmal consequences. While debates about the benefits and detriments of free trade seem never-ending, there has been comparatively little discussion of the actual impact of international trade obligations on sub-national components of federal governments. Although the relationship between America's trade treaties and the policies of state governments has become a more visible issue in international trade, relatively little is known about how these international trade obligations really shape state law-making among the fifty U.S. states. This Note examines how international trade treaties have actually impacted …

Introduction 21st Annual Scholarly Programs: The Future Of Force: Waging War In The 21st Century

UC Law SF International Law Review

This year's 21st Annual Scholarly Programs featured two events that brought leaders in the field together to discuss the legal bases for waging war in the 21st Century. The first event, the Scholars Forum, featured Professor Thomas M. Franck, who discussed his paper, Preemption, Prevention and Anticipatory Self-Defense: New Law Regarding Recourse to Force? Professor Diane Marie Amann, Professor David D. Caron, Professor Joel R. Paul and Judge Abraham D. Sofaer responded to Professor Franck's paper and offered their own perspectives. Professor Naomi Roht-Arriaza served as the mediator. The second event, the Rudolph B. Schlesinger Memorial Lecture, featured Michael J. …

The Eu Regulation On Insolvency Proceedings: The Need For A Modified Universal Approach, Jully Pae

UC Law SF International Law Review

The growth of cross-border insolvencies has increased with the growth of international business activity. As courts of multiple jurisdictions are implicated, conflict-of-law problems surface. This note examines different theories which purport to overcome these conflict-of-law problems. This note also proposes that a modified universalism theory, as opposed to the dominant universalism theory, is the best solution to the problems which arise from the cross-border insolvencies.