Comparative and Foreign Law Commons^™

The Territotiality Inquiry Under The Act Of State Doctrine: Continuing The Search For An Appropriate Application Of Situs Of Debt Rules In International Debt Disputes, Ariel Oscar Diaz

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

Recent economic downturns in Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela, to name a few Latin American states among others in various parts of the world, have once again raised serious concerns regarding the ability of international lenders or creditors to recover on the sovereign and private debt instruments that they hold

China's Wto Accession: Economic, Legal, And Political Implications, 27 B.C. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 319 (2004), Karen H. Cross

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

This Article discusses the unparalleled economic, legal, and political change that has confronted China during WTO accession. The Article focuses on the relationship between China's unique WTO accession process and China's reform over the past two decades. The author suggests that WTO accession has acted as a lever for economic and legal reform by locking in reform and making it irrevocable. The Article begins with a historical background of China's long road to accession and the way that this process worked to further the previously instated economic reform program. Next, the Article analyzes the manner in which WTO accession has …

Development Decision Making And The Content Of International Development Law, Daniel D. Bradlow

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

International development law deals with the rights and duties of states and other actors in the development process. As the consensus view of the development process disintegrated during the 1970s and 1980s, the agreement on the content of international development law also began to break down. Today there are two competing idealized views of development. The first, the traditional view, maintains that development is about economic growth, which can be distinguished from other social, cultural, environmental, and political development issues in society. The second, the modern view, maintains that development is an integrated process of change involving intertwined economic, social, …

Exceeding Our Boundaries: Transnational Employment Law Practice And The Export Of American Lawyering Styles To The Global Worksite, Susan Bisom-Rapp

Faculty Scholarship

Until very recently, one almost never heard mention of international issues among labor and employment law practitioners in the United States. Conventional wisdom considers this practice area quintessentially local. Identifying a trend that unseats this taken-for-granted notion, the article details the birth of a new employment law sub-specialty: international labor and employment law. Some U.S. management attorneys, working with transnational legal teams comprised of lawyers from foreign firms, are beginning to coordinate multinational clients' employment law projects across multiple national jurisdictions. While the world's legal regimes that regulate labor markets are remarkably culturally specific, the formation of transnational networks of …

Experiments In Comparative Corporate Law: The Recent Italian Reform And The Dubious Virtues Of A Market For Rules In The Absence Of Effective Regulatory Competition, Marco Ventoruzzo

Faculty Scholarship

The article addresses a sweeping Reform of corporate law which was enacted by the Italian government in 2003 and came into effect on January 1, 2004. The new statutory regulation significantly increases freedom of contract in corporate law, relying on the idea that the development of an efficient market for rules will allow the "natural selection" of the rules that better suit the need of the different stakeholders. Together - and to some extent to compensate for - this greater freedom of contract, new protections for minority shareholders have also been implemented. The reform also imports into the Italian legal …

A Road Map For Corporate Governance In East Asia, Chee Keong Low

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Much has transpired since the inadequacies of corporate governance practices in East Asia were glaringly exposed by the Asian financial crisis. The crisis brought to the foreground numerous deficiencies, which had common roots in excessive over-leverage as well as the lack of transparency, disclosure and accountability. These issues have been explicitly recognized with the release of the White Paper on Corporate Governance in Asia by the Asian Roundtable on Corporate Governance in June 2003.

By responding in part to the White Paper, this article sets out a "roadmap" whose ultimate objective is the enhancement of the practice of corporate governance …

Communication Breakdown: The Recording Industry's Pursuit Of The Individual Music User, A Comparison Of U.S. And E.U. Copyright Protections For Internet Music File Sharing, Ryan Bates

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

While music file sharing over the internet has become a common practice in recent years, record companies blame the illegal swapping for a 31% drop in compact disk sales since mid-2000. In an ever-evolving attempt to gain a stronghold on the distribution of digital music via the internet, the recording industry recently began filing lawsuits against the individual internet "file sharer" in both the United States the European Union.

This comment examines the development of copyright protections in the United States and the European Union, including recent legislation under each system, and argues that a balance of rights and technical …

Reparations Decisions And Dilemmas, Naomi Roht-Arriaza

UC Law SF International Law Review

The International Bill of Rights declares a right to a remedy for violations of human rights. States are obliged to provide remedies for violations, both as a matter of treaty law and as part of the general rules of state responsibility. The U.N. Human Rights Commission and its Subcommission have formulated draft Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Violations of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (Principles), which outline restitution, rehabilitation, compensation and satisfaction as interlinked but distinct obligations on states. In addition, the statute of the newlycreated International Criminal Court …

Legalistic Individualism: An Alternative Analysis Of Kagan's Adversarial Legalism, Michael Dominic Meuti

UC Law SF International Law Review

An underlying ethos of American law is that an adversarial setting is a prerequisite for proper resolution of a dispute. But is that accurate? Comparative scholars have illustrated the diversity of methods available. In Adversarial Legalism, Robert Kagan considers the merits of these alternative systems. Although the book is not intended as a comprehensive agenda for reform, Kagan's message is clear: our procedures and methods for resolving disputes are a matter of choice, no matter how natural or entrenched they may appear to be. To the extent they do not serve us well, we should exercise our ability to make …

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.

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 …

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