International Law Commons^™

Sovereignty Of Aves Island: An Argument Against Standardized, Compulsory Arbitration, Michael S. Garrison

ExpressO

States engaging in preemptive dispute resolution frequently call upon adjudicative or diplomatic means to resolve territorial boundary disputes and comply with international law. In light of reduced efficacy of such dispute resolution mechanisms, however, some propose that all states should engage in compulsory, standardized arbitration subject to International Court of Justice (“I.C.J.”) review to resolve their boundary disputes. Although arbitration is an effective method of international dispute resolution in certain cases, standardized arbitration will not effectively resolve all boundary disputes between neighbor states.

This Comment argues against the proposition that the United Nations (“U.N.”) implement a standardized arbitration mechanism and …

Toward An International Standard Of Abortion Rights: Empirical Data From Africa, Chad M. Gerson

ExpressO

In the Fall of 2005 I published a brief Development in the Chicago Journal of International Law concerning the prospects for establishing the right to obtain an abortion as a fundamental human right. See 5 Chi. J. Int’l L. 753. In that article I argued that the right to choose and access to abortion services would greatly improve the health and status of women and children in the developing world.

In this article, I follow up with empirical data regarding the status of abortion rights in African countries. These data are compared to maternal and infant mortality and contraceptive use. …

People First, Nations Second: A New Role For The Un As An Assertive Human Rights Custodian, Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

The tragedy of East Timor in 2000 coming so soon after that of Kosovo focused attention on the weaknesses of previous United Nations missions that have been ad hoc, reactive, and narrowly focused on solving the international emergency of the moment. The United Nations and its Members need to focus on the need for timely intervention to save civilian populations from mass slaughter. It must adopt a new role as the assertive custodian of human rights because the use of its enforcement powers in the domestic affairs of rogue States may have a deterrent effect. Therefore, it should lead the …

Presiding Over The Ex-President: A Look At Superior Responsibility In Light Of The Kosovo Indictment , Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

Individual criminal responsibility, and command responsibility in particular, are important because, to deter human rights abuses, potential perpetrators must perceive prosecution as a possible consequence of their actions. Historically, the doctrine of command responsibility has been an important tool to hold accountable leaders who plan, participate in, or acquiesce in large-scale human rights abuses. The scope of the command responsibility doctrine remains one of the most important issues in prosecuting human rights atrocities. The scope of the doctrine determines the degree to which a leader can insulate himself from criminal culpability when the criminal acts were committed by others but …

War On The Enemy: Self-Defence And State-Sponsored Terrorism, Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

In the international law system, internal mechanisms are the appropriate responses to terrorist acts through domestic criminal law. The weakness of domestic criminal law is however evident in the face of transnational terrorists groups whose scope spreads across many borders. The challenge is compounded when States actively or passively support terrorism. Though traditionally State responsibility has been the vehicle through which pressure is exerted on States sponsoring terrorism, the lethal capabilities of terrorists demonstrated by the September 11, 2001 attacks has fundamentally changed the landscape. The consequences of breaches arising out of a failure by a State to effectively curtail …

A Giant Without Limbs: The International Criminal Court’S State-Centric Cooperation Regime, Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

The International Criminal Court is one of the great international institutions in mankind’s history with the potential to reconfigure significant aspects of the international system with regard to criminal jurisdiction. But like the international penal institutions before it, the success of the ICC revolves around international cooperation. An institutional check on the ICC’s power is that it will have to work through States. States Parties will be asked to arrest and surrender suspects, investigate and collect evidence, extend privileges and immunities to ICC officials, protect witnesses, enforce ICC orders for fines and forfeiture and, at times, prosecute those who have …

America’S War On Terror: Rattling International Law With Raw Power? , Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

The need for more dramatic targets has led to the new and somewhat exaggerated emphasis on a unilateral right of pre-emptive self-defence by the United States. What is most striking about the new US policy is that it portrays state-sponsored terrorism and rogue states possessing weapons of mass destruction as a new problem, and unilateral action as the only way of dealing with them. It is dangerous to marginalise the UN and increase the role of multilateral global coalitions or unilateral action in policing “evil-doing” as this has the potential to supplant what initially was designed as the role of …

Contemporary Private Military Firms Under International Law: An Unregulated “Gold Rush”, Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

The Article addresses the legal issues raised by the ascendance of contemporary Private Military Firms. This article has as its aim an exploration of the thorny legal issues raised by the commodification of force. It discusses the nature of the contemporary PMF noting that it bears vestiges of yester year mercenaries. It then grapples with their uncertain status under international law despite the fact that they potentially pose problems for state authority and the direct control of states over the use of force. At the heart of the argument is the reality that PMFs maintain the ability to inflict violence …

Walking An International Tightrope: Use Of Military Force To Counter Terrorism, Jackson N. Maogoto

ExpressO

The UN Charter reflects the drafters’ singular focus on creating a political system to govern conflicts between states. It does not directly address the subtler modes in which terrorists began to operate in the post-World War II period. The drafters did not contemplate the existence of international terrorists nor their tenacity and access to technology. In view of the fact that terrorist groups appear to have reached a global sophistication, there is little doubt that international terrorism presents a threat with which traditional theories for the use of military force are inadequate to deal with, and were not contemplated when …

Doing Deals In Japan: An Analysis Of Recent Trends & Developments For The U.S. Practitioner, Christopher T. Hines, Tatsuya Tanigawa, Andrew P. Hughes

ExpressO

This article examines the process which is currently being played out in Japan by: (i) analyzing the recent changes in Japanese law of relevance to M&A deals, (ii) discussing some recent contested deals in Japan that may shed some light on current market practices, and (iii) providing an overview of the key issues that a U.S. practitioner will likely face when working on a Japanese deal…A good starting point in better understanding the remarkable changes in the Japanese M&A markets is to review the recent amendments to Japanese law, certain policy initiatives by the functional regulators, and other guidelines issued …

The Lack Of Dissent In Wto Dispute Settlement: Is There A “Unanimity” Problem?, Meredith Kolsky Lewis

ExpressO

This article is the first piece of scholarship to analyze in detail the fact that there has been almost no dissent in World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement reports. The article first examines the empirical data with respect to dissenting and concurring opinions at both the panel and Appellate Body levels. Fewer than five percent of panel reports and two percent of Appellate Body reports contain separate opinions of any kind. It second shows that the WTO is in fact actively discouraging dissents, and discusses why this might be the case. The article argues that dissents are valuable in general, …

Human Rights Enforcement In The 21st Century, Douglas L. Donoho

ExpressO

The international human rights system’s approach to enforcement and implementation of human rights has proven unrealistic in a world characterized by oppression, poverty and armed conflict. In this essay, I suggest that traditional approaches to enforcement, while serving some important functions, are inadequate to meet the challenge of effectively realizing human rights in the 21st Century. These inadequacies include a variety of institutional, conceptual and jurisprudential weaknesses, including: (1) failure to develop a coherent overall structure with institutions whose attributes are likely to promote the legitimacy of international decision-making and encourage state respect; (2) refusal to make important distinctions among …

Identity Theft And Consumer Protection: Finding Sensible Approaches To Safeguard Personal Data In The United States And Canada, Kamaal Zaidi

ExpressO

This paper examines identity theft in both the United States and Canada. Various examples of commercial fraud and scams are discussed in the context of a growing trend of identity thieves assuming identities of innocent consumers. As such, various pieces of legislation and consumer initiatives (involving online consumer complaint mechanisms)in U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions are highlighted to demonstrate the pursuit towards broader consumer protection of personal data used in daily commercial transactions. The author argues that these modern efforts to safeguard consumers from identity theft is a progressive measure that will continue to afford increasing protections for consumer personal data, …

Appeasing The International Conscience Or Providing Post-Conflict Justice: Expanding The Khmer Rouge Tribunal’S Restorative Role, Nema Milaninia

ExpressO

Three decades after the Cambodian civil war, the leaders of the Khmer Rouge will finally be brought before an internationalized domestic tribunal. While the majority of those most responsible have died off or received immunity for their conduct, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal has the historic possibility of reaffirming the importance of international criminal justice and providing an historical narrative of the crimes committed and victims created.

This commentary evaluates the importance of restoration in transitional justice and the importance victims and witnesses play in post-conflict justice. This article will argue that previous post-conflict remedies required a balance of restorative and …

Don’T Get Bit: Addressing Icsid’S Inconsistent Application Of Most-Favored-Nation Clauses To Dispute Resolution Provisions, Gabriel Egli

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

Imperialism, Colonialism And International Law, James Gathii

ExpressO

This paper makes an original contribution by unearthing the relationship between imperialism and colonialism in nineteenth century international law. My exploration of the relationship between imperialism and colonialism concretely demonstrates how international legal doctrines surrounding British protectorates of the nineteenth century did not distinguish between imperialism as represented by the introduction of rules and practices of English private and business law into the colonies, on the one hand, and colonialism particularly as exemplified by rules of acquisition of title to territory, on the other. The introduction of English rules of property, tort and contract in the protectorate however went beyond …

The Sosa Decision, Jeffrey P. Saxon

ExpressO

The manner in which international law is applied by the domestic courts of the United States has been an issue without any definitive boundaries since 1789. It is unclear as to the type and extent of international law that could be brought as a cause of action inside the United States for events that occurred outside its borders. The landmark case of Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, decided by the Supreme Court in 2004, has changed the landscape in this area. This decision will alter the field of domestic enforcement of international law by making it exceedingly difficult for an non-citizen to …

Analyzing The International Criminal Court Complementarity Principle Through A Federal Courts Lens, Ada Y. Sheng

ExpressO

The signing of the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court (ICC) was viewed by many in the international law community as a constitutional moment not unlike the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789. In giving birth to a new type of legal institution, however, the Rome Statute created a void in the ability of any existing body of law to precisely convey the nature of the ICC. The Court is neither in a direct vertical nor horizontal relationship to State courts, with the result that traditional international or national legal norms do not apply. The UN referral …

Title Ix Versus Candian Human Rights Legislation: How The United States Should Learn From Canada's Human Rights Act In The Context Of Sexual Harassment In Schools, Brianne I. Weiss

ExpressO

This Article critically examines the success of Title IX in eradicating sexual harassment in educational settings after the Supreme Court decisions in Gebser v. Lago and Monroe v. Davis. Regrettably, the high bar for recovery established by these cases, in addition to poor administrative enforcement of Title IX have eroded its ability to maintain discrimination-free schools. After an examination of the manner in which the Canadian human rights model operates in the context of sexual harassment in educational settings, recommendations are made that the United States should use the Canadian example to improve its own system. Specifically, the United States …

Any Place For Ethnicity? The Liberal State And Immigration, David Abraham

ExpressO

When it comes to immigration, almost all liberal states are faced with the contradiction between their universalist principles and the real affinities they feel for ethnic kinsmen. This review essay (4000 words) addresses the different ways a number of liberal democracies have handled this dilemma.

Of Shrinking Sweatsuits And Poison Vine Wax: A Comparison Of Excuse For Nonperformance Under The Ucc And The Cisg, Carla Spivack

ExpressO

This article compares the doctrine of excuse/exemption for nonperformance under UCC 2-615 and CISG Article 79 analyzing texts, commentary and cases, and the underlying policy concerns of both regimes. It argues that a narrow interpretation of Article 79's basis for excuse/exemption is the reading intended by the drafters and most likely to promote the CISG's goal of facilitating transborder transactions.

The Unexplored Option: Jewish Settlements In A Palestinian State, David M. Phillips

ExpressO

The withdrawal of Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip, the recent Hamas victory in the Palestinian Authority elections, and the results of the Israeli elections in which the newly-formed Kadima Party received a plurality of the votes have all focused attention upon the fate of Israeli Jewish settlements on the West Bank. Most parties consider the continued existence of the settlements as precluding a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and their establishment as having violated international law. The assumption that their presence precludes peace is premised primarily on the assumption that Israeli settlements will eventually mean Israeli …

Amending The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Repealing The Exemption For “Routine Government Action” Payments, Alexandros Zervos

ExpressO

Abstract: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) exempts small scale payments for “routine government action” from its reach. This article suggests that the FCPA be amended in order to forbid these payments as well. As currently formulated, the FCPA does not address the very real damage caused by low-level corruption. Amending it to include small scale bribes would lead symbolic and practical benefits that outweigh potential objections. This is particularly the case if the change is accompanied with a modified enforcement and penalty scheme.

Linking Natural Resource Exploitation And Primary Health Care In Developing Countries, Alexandros Zervos

ExpressO

In exchange for loans from international financial institutions, natural resources companies should be made contractually responsible for achieving specific primary health care targets in certain developing countries they invest in. Primary health care is crucial for social/economic development, but many developing countries’ governments fail in its provision. Any effort to make natural resources companies responsible for primary health care would need to focus on goal setting, monitoring and legal enforcement. The latter would include both monetary sanctions and incentives tied to specific targets. The challenges facing this project are significant, but none are problematic enough to prevent its implementation.

Multi-Tiered Marriage: Ideas And Influences From New York And Louisiana To The International Community, Joel A. Nichols

ExpressO

This Article contends that American society needs to hold a genuine discussion about alternatives to current conceptions of marriage and family law jurisdiction. Specifically, the Article suggests that the civil government should consider ceding some of its jurisdictional authority over marriage and divorce law to religious communities that are competent and capable of adjudicating the marital rites and rights of their respective adherents. There is historical precedent and preliminary movement toward this end -- both within and without the United States -- which might serve as the framework for further discussions.

Within the United States, the relatively new covenant marriage …

Developing Reasoned Framework For International Choice With Criminal Procedure, Nancy D. Erbe

ExpressO

While scholars fiercely debate retributive versus restorative justice within the U.S. criminal system, the international community is quietly, steadily and creatively combining the two. Fortunately, enough case study material exists to begin identifying a rational framework to guide future procedural choice.

Forced Pregnancy And The Icc, Milan Markovic

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

Punitive Damages, Liquidated Damages, And Clauses Penale In Contract Actions: A Comparative Analysis Of The American Common Law And The French Code Civil, Charles R. Calleros

ExpressO

Although American common law allows punitive damages for reckless or intentional torts, it will neither allow a jury to assess punitive damages for breach of contract nor permit enforcement of a contractual damages clause that is deemed to be punitive. This approach is rooted in an early Chancery practice of granting equitable relief from oppressive penal bonds and has been more recently justified as a means of facilitating efficient breach. Economic efficiency, however, can be accomplished even if punitive damages could be assessed for intentional breach, because the parties would have an incentive to negotiate a release from the first …

Internalizing European Court Of Human Rights Interpretations: Russia's Courts Of General Jurisdiction And New Directions In Civil Defamation Law, Peter F. Krug

ExpressO

The manuscript examines the steps that Russia's courts of general jurisdiction have taken since 2002 to fashion major changes in Russia's civil defamation law. The critical element in this process has been the courts' internalization of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights in interpreting the freedom of expression provisions in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Russia acceded in 1998. The internalization movement in the Russian courts began in 2002 in isolated lower court decisions, and culminated in a generally-applicable Decree of the Russian Federation Supreme Court in 2005. The manuscript examines …

The Unexplored Option: Jewish Settlements In A Palestinian State, David M. Phillips

ExpressO

The withdrawal of Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip, the recent Hamas victory in the Palestinian Authority elections, and the forthcoming Israeli elections in which the newly-formed Kadima Party is expected to receive a plurality of the votes have all focused attention upon the fate of Israeli settlements on the West Bank. The present head of the Kadima Party, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has even signalled that, if Kadima forms the next Israeli government, Israel will withdraw from many of the settlements on the West Bank, although different statements from different Kadima spokespeople leave ambiguous which settlements …