International Law Commons^™

Collaborative Dispute Resolution: Five Essential Questions, Scott Adams, Aparna Mukerjee

Perspectives

This essay identifies five key questions regarding the dispute resolution process and explores the answers to these. The five questions are:

1. How Should Parties Decide Whether to Participate in Dispute Resolution?
2. What are the Roles of Advocates and Advisors?
3. Does Dispute Resolution Provide Accountability and Remedy?
4. How Can Dispute Resolution Foster Institutional Learning for dfis?
5. Why Is it Important for Dispute Resolution to be Independent rather Than Embedded in DFI Management?

A Proposal For One “Super” Independent Accountability Mechanism, Daniel D. Bradlow

Perspectives

This essay will discuss how the MDBs- for example, the World Bank Group, the African, Asian, and Inter-American Development Banks, and more recently the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the New Development Bank – are dealing with the issue of accountability. It will argue that, although the MDBs have been leaders in promoting international organizational accountability, their mechanisms of accountability are not keeping up with the evolution in their operations. In the interests of promoting new and creative thinking about these issues, it will also make an ambitious proposal for how the MDBs jointly …

Eye-For-An-Eye: High Compensation Awards Against States As Undue Punishment, David M. Bigge, Jonathan M. White

American University International Law Review

In observing the past several years’ debates regarding reparations under international law, we are reminded of lessons we learned as children in Sunday School. The Jewish and Christian sacred texts address the principle of retributive justice reflected in the Biblical phrase “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” During the early rabbinic period, the great sages grappled with the import of this rule. Jesus famously rejected the rule in favor of mercy: “turn the other cheek.” The rabbis were not as interested in rejecting this rule in its entirety as ensuring that it yielded justice.

Cyberbullying As A Contemporary Human Rights Violation Of Youth In Digital Media: A Study Of India, Brazil, And South Africa, Laura Ferla Tuma

American University International Law Review

The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated a technological migration not only among adults but also among children and adolescents. Digital media became the alternative for young individuals to maintain their activities, especially school-related ones. They shared virtual classrooms, used the internet for entertainment, and were forced to socialize exclusively in digital environments for months. Connected time increased, and the world witnessed a new phenomenon: hyperconnectivity.

Is It Possible To Draft A Universal Criminal Code?, Paul H. Robinson

American University International Law Review

The world contains hundreds of distinct communities with their own traditions and values. One might assume that, despite the best efforts of international organizations, it would be impossible to draft a criminal code that could operate effectively for all countries. Is that the case? If one tried to construct a universal criminal code, what sorts of challenges and limitations with the effort face?

Discussant Commentary On The Twenty-Seventh Annual Grotius Lecture, Jamil Dakwar

American University International Law Review

27^th Annual Grotius Lecture on International Law: April 2025

Blood Cobalt: Unmasking And Charging Corporations For Involvement In International Law Violations In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Bolu Jegede

American University International Law Review

Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE) is a legal doctrine developed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to hold participants in a criminal enterprise equally liable for all results of the group’s criminal actions, even if the individuals were not directly involved in committing the crimes. While traditionally used to prosecute individual criminal actions, JCE provides a legal pathway to hold corporations criminally liable for their actions that further international law violations. Although corporations currently do not have specific, listed responsibilities under international law, they are required to respect human rights and ensure their activities do not perpetrate …

Humanitarian Interventions On The Crossroads Of Legality And Legitimacy, Asya Gasparyan

Human Rights Brief

In an era marked by persistent geopolitical conflicts and recurring human rights crises, the discourse surrounding humanitarian interventions (“HI”) and the role of the United Nations in this complex arena is of paramount importance. The pressing need to address mass atrocities, including ethnic conflicts and political unrest, highlights the legal and moral dilemmas associated with humanitarian interventions.

How Pretrial Detention Deprives A Child’S Access To Education: The Convention On The Rights Of The Child And The Juvenile Justice Reform Act, Abby Groetsch

Human Rights Brief

Although the United States (“U.S.”) has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which specifically outlines the rights of juvenile defendants, the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments provides implicit rights for children accused of criminal acts. In 1967, the Supreme Court decided In re Gault, definitively establishing that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applied to juvenile defendants. The Supreme Court has also stated that children should be treated differently than adults, outlining different sentencing requirements for crimes committed while a person is under the age of eighteen.

Upholding The Absolute Prohibition Of Torture: Afchpr On Detention In Tanzania, Aly Orvis

Human Rights Brief

On September 3, 2024, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) rendered its decision in Habyalimana Augustino and Muburu Abdulkarim v. United Republic of Tanzania. The case involved two Burundian nationals who, as refugees in Tanzania, were implicated in a murder-for-hire scheme. This scheme was allegedly orchestrated by Mama Mboya—the wife of a high ranking commanding officer who suspected the victim of having an affair with her husband. Convicted in 2007, the applicants were sentenced to death by hanging. In their petition to the AfCHPR, they argued that they had been subjected to torture and inhumane conditions at …

Kobaliya V. Russia: Curtailing Civil Society Through Labels Of Foreign Influence., Alida Blendonohy

Human Rights Brief

In a January 2025 judgment, the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”) held in the case of Kobaliya and Others v. Russia that the application of Russia’s foreign agent legislation violated Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the European Con­vention on Human Rights (“ECHR”) which pro­tect the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and respect for private and family life.

In Kobaliya, the ECtHR assessed Russia’s foreign agent legislation, its evolution since 2012, and its increasing restrictiveness. In its initial 2012 enactment, the law applied to nongovernmental organizations (“NGOs”) that participated in political activity with foreign funding, …

A Woman’S Body Is Not Her Husband’S: Marital Duty And The Right To Refuse At The Ecthr, Dionejala Muhammad

Human Rights Brief

The European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”) issued a decision in H.W. v. France on January 23, 2025, ruling that under the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“ECHR”), specifically Article 8(1), a woman is not required to provide sex to her husband to fulfill marital duty.

Double Standards In The Drug Trade: How European Nations Escape Sanctions While Senegal May Bear The Burden, Erin Soro

American University International Law Review

The focus of international drug control policies on sanctioning transit countries like Senegal for drug trafficking overlooks the significant role played by drug-consuming nations such as France and Spain. Despite a notable decrease in local drug consumption due to democratic progress and strong religious roots, Senegal remains a major transit hub for narcotics destined for Europe. This Comment argues that drug-consuming countries are equally culpable under international law and should face comparable sanctions to effectively address the global drug trade. This Comment highlights the imbalance in sanction implementation and advocates for a more equitable approach, recommending minimal sanctions for Senegal …

Crippled By War: Arguing Russia’S Actions In Ukraine Constitute Disability Persecution Under Article 7(1)(H) Of The Rome Statute, Davis Hayman

American University International Law Review

During the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia implemented a “humanitarian aid” program which moved Ukrainian people with disabilities to Russia or Russian-controlled areas. The Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants under the theory that this program constitutes war crimes.

This Comment argues this program further qualifies as the crime of persecution against Ukrainians with disabilities. This piece first analyzes the crime of persecution, its relationship with other crimes and how non-enumerated groups can receive its protection. Next, this piece analyzes international human rights developments related to people with disabilities to show they qualify for such …

But For Borders: The Protection Gap For Internally Displaced Persons, Anita Sinha

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Internal displacement, encapsulating the phenomenon of people who are dislocated from their homes but remain within the border of their countries of origin, was once a forced migratory occurrence interchangeable with cross-border migration. This changed after the Second World War with the promulgation of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which was premised on an insistence of making a legal line in the sand based on which side of a border displacement ultimately transpires. Internally displaced persons (IDPs)—in recent history, presently, and in the projected future—far outpace the number of people displaced outside the border of their …

Criminalizing Ecocide: An Opportunity To Embed The Inseparability Of Humans From Nature Into The Law, Rebecca Hamilton

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Amid widespread acknowledgment that we live on a planet in peril, the term “ecocide” packs a powerful rhetorical punch. Extant regulatory approaches to environmental protection feel insufficient in the face of the triple threat of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. International criminal prosecution for ecocide, by contrast, promises to meet the moment, and a recent proposal to introduce ecocide into the canon of core international crimes is gaining traction. Assuming the push to criminalize ecocide continues to gain momentum, this Article argues that the primary (and perhaps, sole) benefit that international criminal law can offer in this context is …

Existential Threats And Deterrence: Japan's Legal Pathway To Enhanced Collective Security In Asia, Nobuhisa Ishizuka

American University International Law Review

With the Japanese Cabinet’s decision in December 2022 to comprehensively upgrade Japan’s security posture, and its rapid build-up of its defense capabilities, Japan’s role in Asia’s security architecture has been undergoing a fundamental shift. This article places Japan’s 2015 Peace and Security Legislation in the context of the U.N. collective security system and argues that its most significant achievement has been to expand Japan’s power to engage more proactively in the Asian collective security order. To date, commentators have focused on the legislation’s role in expanding the Japanese constitution’s limitations on the use of force to permit collective self-defense. This …

Protection And Guarantee Of Human Rights In Digital Environments, Claudia Martin, Diego Rodriguez-Pinzon

American University International Law Review

We are delighted to present this year’s special issue of the American University International Law Review and the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, which includes the best essays in English and in Spanish recognized in the 2024 Human Rights Essay Award competition. It is satisfying to think that this competition allowed a number of participants an opportunity to expound their thoughts on so many important topics, regarding so many areas of the world. We hope these participants are able to use their articles as mechanisms for change.

Can Prior Censorship Be A Necessary Tool For The Protection Of Human Rights?, Leandro Leo Rebelo

American University International Law Review

Prior censorship is unequivocally interpreted by the Inter-American Human Rights System (“Inter-American System”) as a step too far in moderating expression. Except in the quite narrow circumstances allowed for under Article 13(4) of the American Convention on Human Rights (“ACHR”), the Inter-American System has reiterated that prior censorship is forbidden. However, prior censorship is widely used in social media platforms as a tool of content moderation. Should such techniques be banned, or should more exceptions be allowed in the regulation of speech?

What We Can Learn From The Notorious P&Id V. Nigeria, Emily Granja

Arbitration Brief

On October 23, 2023, England’s High Court of Justice ruled in favor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Nigeria v. Process & Industrial Developments Ltd. (P&ID). Reviewing the case, the High Court vacated P&ID’s $10 billion arbitral award after finding significant evidence of fraud and bribery. While the High Court’s decision marked a victory for Nigeria, it also shook the international arbitration system. This case exposed some of international arbitration’s flaws and generated new concerns regarding the confidentiality inherent in the arbitration process.

Cultural Conquest: Russia's Strategic Assault On Ukrainian Heritage As Both A Catalyst For And A Casualty Of Conflict, Brittan Harrell

American University International Law Review

Vladimir Putin and his government have disseminated fabricated claims about Ukraine’s history, language, and sovereignty as a rationalization for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Not only has the war resulted in grave human loss, but it has also caused widespread destruction throughout Ukraine. Nongovernmental organizations, foreign governments, academics, and Ukrainian citizens have collected robust evidence that Russian forces are purposefully targeting repositories of Ukrainian identity. The intentional destruction of this protected property is considered a war crime under the Rome Statute. Following the International Criminal Court’s (“ICC”) first successful prosecution for the destruction of protected property in 2016, there has …

In Violation Of Diplomatic Treaties: A Look Into Ecuador's Forced Extraction, Josie C. Tarin

American University International Law Review

In December 2023, former Vice-President of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, sought political asylum in the Mexican Embassy located in Quito, Ecuador. On April 5, 2024, following a week of political discourse between the Ecuadorian and Mexican governments, the Mexican government granted Glas political asylum. In their announcement, Mexico reminded Ecuador that the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations protected both Glas and the employees within the Mexican embassy. On the evening of Mexico’s announcement, Ecuadorian agents operating under executive authority entered the Mexican embassy without consent, injured an employee of the Mexican embassy …

Judging Judiciaries: How Sticky Defaults, Status Quo Bais, And The Sovereign Prerogative Influence The Perceived Legitimacy Of The New International Commercial Courts, S.I. Strong

American University Law Review

Forum shopping is routinely criticized as contrary to procedural justice. However, recent years have seen an increasing number of jurisdictions engaged in the process of forum selling, in which countries actively seek to bring lucrative litigation business to their national judicial systems. One of the most common types of forum selling involves the creation of new international commercial courts designed to increase a nation’s competitiveness in the global litigation market.

Most studies of the new international commercial courts have focused on how procedural innovations adopted by different courts are likely to affect party choice. While useful, these analyses assume that …

Public International Air Lawfare: China’S Use And Abuse Of The Skies., Major Emily K. Johnson

American University National Security Law Brief

Following World War II, China entered a years-long period of civil war between the Kuomintang government, which was then in power as the government of the Republic of China, and the Chinese Communist Party. After years of conflict, the Kuomintang was forced to retreat to the island of Taiwan in 1949, effectively and reluctantly ceding the Chinese mainland to the Chinese Communist Party. Despite its best efforts, the Kuomintang never regained control of mainland China in the ensuing years; however, it never dissolved and instead remained in place on Taiwan.

As a result, Taiwan, which lies a mere 80-100 miles …

But For Borders: The Protection Gap For Internally Displaced Persons, Anita Sinha

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Internal displacement, the phenomenon of people who are dislocated from their homes but remain within the border of their countries of origin, was once a forced migratory occurrence interchangeable with cross-border migration. This changed after the Second World War with the promulgation of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which was premised on an insistence on drawing a legal line in the sand based on which side of a border displacement transpires upon. Internally displaced persons (IDPs)-both in recent history and in the projected future-far outnumber people displaced across borders. Both rhetorical maneuverings and traditional international legal …

Trademark Proprietors' "Moral Right" As An Exception To The Doctrine Of Exhaustion Of Rights In Trademarks, Sahana Simha, Ram Mohan M P

American University Business Law Review

Trademark law is primarily viewed as a consumer protection law. Proprietary and consumer interests are not always balanced. This is especially the case with the doctrine of exhaustion of rights in trademarks, where the trademark owner loses control over the further distribution of their trademarked product once sold. Existing statutory exceptions to this doctrine allow the proprietor to take action against resellers only when the product has been impaired or changed. The exceptions do not account for harm or damage to the reputation and goodwill associated with a trademark as a ground to override exhaustion. This article analyzes legislative and …

Protection Of Nuclear Facilities In Warfare Under International Law, Gary Corn, Sean Watts

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Criminalizing Ecocide, Rebecca Hamilton

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Amid widespread acknowledgment that we live on a planet in peril, the term “ecocide” packs a powerful rhetorical punch. Extant regulatory approaches to environmental protection feel insufficient in the face of the triple threat of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. International criminal prosecution for ecocide, by contrast, promises to meet the moment, and a recent proposal to introduce ecocide into the canon of core international crimes is gaining traction. Assuming the push to criminalize ecocide continues to gain momentum, this Article argues that the primary (and perhaps, sole) benefit that international criminal law can offer in this context is …

Russian Irregular Forces: Pursuing Accountability, Susana L. Sacouto

Research Reports & White Papers

This memo examines the prospects of pursuing criminal charges against individuals involved in such groups through universal or other forms of jurisdiction that permit the prosecution of grave crimes committed abroad. Specifically, it seeks to identify opportunities to bring to account members of irregular armed groups, as well as public and private actors directing or supporting their criminal activity, particularly in Ukraine, by determining which jurisdictions would be most disposed to pursuing an investigation and, if warranted, a prosecution of their crimes.

The Importance Of Administrative Appeals As Second Instance Bodies To Strengthen Migration And Asylum Systems, Gabriela Richard Rodriguez

Refugee Law & Migration Studies Brief

According to data from UNHCR's Report, "Global Trends - Forced Displacement in 2022," there were 108.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide in 2022; in the first half of 2023 alone, there were 110 million displaced people, indicating that 2023 could double the figures of 2022. Based on my experience as an administrative judge in the Administrative Migration Tribunal in Costa Rica— a body of second instance in the migration system— I consider that, in view of the impact that the migration and asylum systems had had in countries of transit and destination, it is essential that there be second instances …