International Law Commons^™

Reassessing The Dialogic Possibilities Of Weak-Form Bills Of Rights, Christine Bateup

UC Law SF International Law Review

In recent years, weak-form bills of rights have generated much excitement in contemporary constitutional scholarship because they are believed to create a new balance between parliamentary and judicial supremacy based on inter-branch "dialogue" between courts and legislatures. Few scholars, however, have examined the foundational question of whether judges and legislators can actually be expected to behave in a way that realizes the dialogic potential of weak-form instruments. This Article takes a new approach to this question, applying the insights of positive theory to engage in a comprehensive assessment of the behavior we can realistically expect of courts and legislatures in …

Mere Words: The Enemy Entity Designation Of The Gaza Strip, Carey James

UC Law SF International Law Review

Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip since June of 1967. Despite the withdrawal of Israeli military forces and the dismantling of Israeli settlements in 2005, Gaza is still generally considered occupied territory as a matter of international law. In September 2007, Israel declared the Gaza Strip a "hostile territory." This note examines the probable aims and legal effects of the hostile territory designation.

China's Anti-Monopoly Law: Insights From U.S. And Eu Precedents On Abuse Of Dominance And Ip Exemption Provisions, Yin Zhou

UC Law SF International Law Review

Since opening to the global market in 1978, China has enjoyed consistent and rapid economic growth for the past three decades. Such liberalization and economic growth created a need for regulations to maintain a smoothly functioning market. By the mid-1990s, the need for a set of antitrust laws became apparent in light of the rise in domestic consumerism and investments from large foreign corporations. After thirteen years of drafting and revisions, China passed its Anti-Monopoly Law ("AML") on August 30, 2007. The AML came into effect a year later on August 1, 2008, but many companies started seeking legal advice …

What The Rest Think Of The West - Legal Dimensions, Laura Nader

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Law Across Borders: What Can The United States Learn From Japan, Eric A. Feldman

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dream Palaces Of Law: Western Constructions Of The Muslim Legal World, Haider Ala Hamoudi

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Exceptional Nature Of Terrorism: The United States And Middle Eastern Legal Systems, Wadie E. Said

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Duty Of Confidentiality In Korea, Suh-Young Shin

UC Law SF International Law Review

The duty of confidentiality is fundamental for the relationship between an attorney and the client. How and when the duty of confidentiality should be enforced upon an attorney has been debated in Korea, after a former in-house counsel of Samsung Group publicly disclosed that the chairman of Samsung allegedly engaged in illegal conduct. Relevant rules from the Korean Bar Association Code of Ethics and Conduct are not specific enough to allow one to assess the act of the former in-house counsel. This note analyzes the issue first under the Korean rules, and then under the relevant U.S. rules. While acknowledging …

The Right To A Fair Trial And The Confrontation Clause: Overruling Crawford To Rebalance The U.S. Criminal Justice Equilibrium, Lindsay Hoopes

UC Law SF International Law Review

In the United States, the right to confrontation is the hallmark fair trial protection. Most foreign and international jurisdictions have adopted the right to confrontation as an integral component of their fair trial protections, modeling the right after the U.S. Constitution's Sixth Amendment. Just as any other right, the right to confrontation requires society to strike a balance between a defendant's right to a fair trial with other competing rights in the criminal justice system: namely, victim's and society's right to adjudication of criminal matters.

Historically, the United States allowed abrogation of the right to confrontation when evidence was sufficiently …

Symbol Of Freedom: Atsa And International Efforts To Increase Security, Valerie Kraml

UC Law SF International Law Review

In 2002, the United States ("U.S.") p assed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act ("ATSA"), under the umbrella of the Patriot Act, which required the collection and dissemination of all international airline passengers' private data, such as name, address, credit card, before foreign airlines could pass over land on U.S. territories. Compliance with the ATSA was highly controversial in the European Union ("E.U."), which maintains strong domestic privacy and personal liberty laws. Efforts to bridge the conflict in domestic privacy laws have led to numerous attempts by the U.S. and E.U. to reach an agreement to increase international security within …

Victims Of Armed Conflict And Persecution In South Africa: Between A Rock And A Hard Place, Edwin Odhiambo Abuya, Dulo Nyaoro

UC Law SF International Law Review

This paper examines the extent to which African States have cemented their commitments to protect persons forced to flee from their home states owing to armed conflict and/or persecution. Using South Africa as a case study, this paper examines the experience of refugees and asylum seekers at the hands of South African Police. Two central issues are, first, the identity documents that are issued to asylum seekers and refugees coming to South Africa, and second, the constitutional rights to privacy and security, which are promised to all. It is contended that although law enforcement officials are generally required by law …

Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility: Reconciling The Ideals Of A For-Benefit Corporation With Director Fiduciary Duties In The U.S. And Europe, Alissa Mickels

UC Law SF International Law Review

Traditionally, organizations are divided into three sectors: for-profit, non-profit, and the government. Over the past few decades, a new Fourth Sector of organizations has been emerging in the U.S. and abroad. These "Fourth Sector" organizations attempt to integrate social purposes with business methods as seamlessly as possible. A few social entrepreneurs take a more ambitious approach to this "hybrid" approach and are creating For-Benefit corporations that, in addition to integrating social purposes with business methods, adopt a corporate policy to benefit all stakeholders, require inclusive governance and ownership, accountability, and transparency. Will the law allow these For-Benefit corporations to benefit …

Eight Perspectives On Yvon Neptune V. Haiti, Jens Iverson

UC Law SF International Law Review

Yvon Neptune v. Haiti is a noteworthy decision of the Inter- American Court of Human Rights, with potentially wide-ranging impacts. The Court ordered a wholesale change in the Haitian prison system in order to prevent Haiti from violating former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune's rights again. Haiti violated Articles 1 (obligation to respect rights), 5 (humane treatment), 7 (personal liberty), 8 (fair trial) and 25 (the right to judicial protection) of the American Convention on Human Rights. Haitian and U.S. human rights groups worked together with a "virtual" human rights clinic to trigger the decision by filing a petition with …

Introduction - Recent Events In Gaza, Rose Mishaan

UC Law SF International Law Review

No abstract provided.

It's Just Business, Or Is It: How Business And Politics Collide With Sovereign Wealth Funds, Matthew Saxon

UC Law SF International Law Review

Over the past few years, sovereign wealth funds have played an increasingly important role in the global financial system. This note seeks to shed light on the foreign investment vehicles known as sovereign wealth funds (SWF's). In the first section I will explain what a sovereign wealth fund is; why regulators in the U.S. and European have recently become concerned with them; and how SWF's have reacted to these concerns. In the second section, I will compare and contrast the strategies that U.S. and European regulators have employed in adjusting to these funds. Finally, I will argue that lawmakers in …

Methods Of International Human Rights Adjudication: Towards A More Structured Decision-Making Process For The European Court Of Human Rights, Stefan Sottiaux, Gerhard Van Der Schyff

UC Law SF International Law Review

An international tribunal such as the European Court of Human Rights is often lauded for its protection of human rights. Yet, there is room for improvement. The Court's adjudication style would benefit from more structured balancing of competing interests. Not only would greater structure serve to enhance the Court's efficiency and promote legal certainty, but it would also help to clarify the Court's subsidiary role in relation to national authorities when it comes to the protection of human rights. In bringing more structure to the Court's decision-making process, inspiration can be drawn from the debate regarding the balancing/categorization continuum to …

In The Spirit Of Ubuntur. Enforcing The Rights Of Orphans And Vulnerable Children Affected By Hiv/Aids In South Africa, John D. Bessler

UC Law SF International Law Review

The author discusses the traditional African concept of ubuntu, which is frequently cited in South African jurisprudence, and analyzes South Africa's violation of the human rights of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. South Africa's Constitution explicitly protects children's rights and various socio-economic rights of concern to children. The Constitutional Court of South Africa has held such rights to be justiciable, yet the rights of South African children have continually been violated. The author discusses how the existence of these rights may assist orphans and vulnerable children as well as those advocating on their behalf, and identifies legal strategies …

International Law Versus The Preemptive Use Of Force: Racing To Confront The Specter Of A Nuclear Iran, Roxana Vatanparast

UC Law SF International Law Review

The United States claims that Iran's uranium enrichment program is for the purpose of creating nuclear weapons, and is thus in violation of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Although the question of whether Iran has, or will soon have, a nuclear weapon is still speculative, the U.S. is adamant that even if Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon, it soon will, and all measures must be taken to prevent that from happening. This note analyzes whether the preemptive use of force in this context would meet traditional customary international law requirements as originally established in …

Fifteen Minutes Of Shame: The Growing Notoriety Of Grand Corruption, Mary Evans Webster

UC Law SF International Law Review

Today the international community is focused, like never before, on efforts to reduce corruption as an essential component of poverty eradication. Grand corruption is the payment of bribes in connection with major interactions such as large infrastructure projects or arms sales and the abuse of political power to extract and accumulate for private gain. In the last five years, the United Nations, the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development have all launched aggressive new agendas to address the crime of grand corruption. But, these agendas are not without their shortcomings and ardent critics. This article explores …

Australian Shareholders Rejoice: Current Developments In Australian Corporate Litigation, Paul Von Nessen

UC Law SF International Law Review

This article considers recent Australian case law which will enhance the ability of Australian shareholders to pursue remedies against their companies for improper disclosure in relation to the acquisition of securities. The article further observes that, in contrast to the United States legal environment, actions which may be used to pursue such securities claims have been encouraged in Australia in recent years by the adoption of effective class action procedures and the relaxation of litigation funding rules.

The Right To A Dignified Life (Vida Digna): The Integration Of Economic And Social Rights With Civil And Political Rights In The Inter-American Human Rights System, Jo M. Pasqualucci

UC Law SF International Law Review

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights recently issued a series of controversial judgments in which it held States accountable for violations of the right to life, even when no one had died. The Court expanded the traditional scope of the right to life to include the right to live a "vida digna" or a dignified life. In doing so, the Court has introduced a qualitative aspect to the right to life. In certain circumstances in which vulnerable individuals or groups lacked basic necessities such as adequate food, water, sanitary facilities, and health care, the Court held that the State was …

Symptoms Of Trauma Among Political Asylum Applicants: Don't Be Fooled, Stuart L. Lustig

UC Law SF International Law Review

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition which is common among political asylum applicants. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, and hypervigilance. Many of these symptoms can adversely affect applicants' credibility in the courtroom in the eyes of adjudicators unfamiliar with PTSD. Due to PTSD symptoms, applicants may appear unexpectedly calm while recounting details of torture and maltreatment, and their narratives may seem inconsistent. Conversely, adjudicators should be aware of normal activities and functions that are possible among applicants with PTSD. Cultural variations in demeanor, such as reluctance to discuss sexual trauma and …

Why France Needs To Collect Data On Racial Identity... In A French Way, David B. Oppenheimer

UC Law SF International Law Review

French constitutional law, which embraces equality as a founding principle, prohibits the state from collecting data about race, ethnicity or religion, and French culture is deeply averse to the legitimacy of racial identity. France is thus, in American parlance, officially "color-blind." But in France, as in the United States, the principle of color-blindness masks a deeply colorconscious society, in which race and ethnicity are closely linked to discrimination and disadvantage. French law, and Frenchincorporated European law, requires the state to prohibit discrimination, including indirect discrimination. But in the absence of racial identity data, it is difficult for the state to …

Shared Dilemmas: Justice For Rape Victims Under International Law And Protection For Rape Victims Seeking Asylum, Lindsay Peterson

UC Law SF International Law Review

Rape is prohibited in every major domestic legal system and has long been a violation of customary international law, yet it is rarely prosecuted in either context. It was not until the 1990s, when women became actively involved in the international community through lobbying and occupying leadership positions, that the idea of rape as a crime against honor was reevaluated and modified to recognize rape as a violent crime. However, rape victims are still denied justice in many cases under international law and are denied protection from their attackers under U.S. domestic asylum law. This paper will examine the successes …

Center For Gender & Refugee Studies: The Implementation Of The One-Year Bar To Asylum, Karen Musalo, Marcelle Rice

UC Law SF International Law Review

Commonly referred to as the "one-year bar to asylum," section 208 (a)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality, 8 U.S.C. § 1158(a)(2)(B) was enacted by Congress as part of the Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act passed in 1996. The law requires an asylum applicant to apply within one year of arrival in the United States, subject to certain exceptions. Congress' goal in enacting this law was to prevent fraud while ensuring that the United States remained a safe haven for refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries.

Twelve years after the enactment of the one-year bar, CGRS' survey of …

Modes Of Procedural Reform, Richard L. Marcus

UC Law SF International Law Review

Procedural reform seems to be a constant concern in most countries, but there are different modes of accomplishing it. One is to empower judges to develop their own rules of procedure. Another is to have a legislative body do so. A third is to borrow procedural regimes from another nation. And a final mode would be to leave procedural reform to a band of "experts" who can devise the preferred solutions to procedural problems. This paper provides an initial examination into whether the mode of procedural reform used influences the nature or aggressiveness of the reforms themselves. Drawing mainly from …

The Internationalization Of The American Journal Of International Law: Reality Or Chimera (A Survey), Christos Ravanides

UC Law SF International Law Review

In 2006 the American Society of International Law celebrated its centennial anniversary. In 2007 it is the turn of the Society's flagship publication, the American Journal of International Law, to celebrate its centennial volume. This first-of-its-kind detailed survey dissects the Journal's "international" attribute: how truly "international" and how "American" has this prestigious publication proved in the course of a century? How accommodating a host has it been to international lawyers with no U.S. affiliation or with 'deviating' views on international law? The research has been multi-fold; we examine the content, the structure and the thematology of the Journal, measuring foreign …

New Trends In Procedural Law: New Technologies And The Civil Litigation Process, Janet Walker, Garry D. Watson

UC Law SF International Law Review

This report for the International Association of Procedural Law examines the impact of new technologies on the litigation process in six countries: The United States, Australia, Israel, Singapore, England and Wales, and Canada. Drawing on national reports from each of these countries, it considers: how new technologies are re-shaping the ways that we record and store information in the litigation process; the ways that the participants in the process communicate with one another; and the ways in which the case record or file is developed. It also considers whether new technologies are making the litigation process more efficient, more accessible …

Implementing The Prohibition Of Torture On Three Levels: The United Nations, The Council Of Europe, And Germany, Joachim Herrmann

UC Law SF International Law Review

In the fight against terrorism the United States government has tried to draw a line between proper and improper methods of interrogation and treatment of detainees. The question whether and to what extent torture and other kinds of ill-treatment might be justified is widely discussed in the United States today. To date, no satisfying answer has been found. There is doubt that a generally accepted answer could ever be found. In view of this dilemma it might be helpful to look beyond the borders of the United States to see what answers have been given elsewhere. This paper will explain …

Peacekeeping In Name Alone: Accountability For The United Nations In Haiti, Matt Halling, Blaine Bookey

UC Law SF International Law Review

The period from February 29, 2004 - the day democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced to leave his country - to the present has marked a dark period for Haiti. Thousands of men, women and children have been murdered, raped, and unlawfully detained. Peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti ("MINUSTAH"), sent to Haiti in an effort to reinstall democracy, are directly responsible for scores of these human rights violations through direct action and willfully blind inaction. This report attempts to demonstrate the magnitude of human rights abuses that have occurred and continue to occur in …