Rule of Law Commons^™

Rule Of Law In Haiti Before And After The 2010 Earthquake, James D. Wilets, Camilo Espinosa

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Toward An International Rule Of Law, Brandeis Institute For International Judges

Global Business & Development Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The United States And International Law: The United Nations Finds A Home, Mark Weston Janis

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

An essay is presented on the relationship between the U.S. and the United Nations (UN) as of July 2011, focusing on the commitment of the U.S. to international law and international organization, as well as a historical overview of the UN and its facilities in the U.S. John F. Murphy's book "The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs" is also mentioned.

Rethinking North America: Why Nafta's Laissez Faire Approach To Integration Is Flawed, And What To Do About It, Stephen Zamora

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

An essay is presented on the status of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as of July 2011, focusing on the strong support shown to the international law by European countries as compared to the U.S., as well as the role of regional trade agreements such as NAFTA in furthering the globalization movement. John F. Murphy's book "The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs" is also mentioned.

Deviations From The International Rule Of Law: An Historical Footnote, Arthur T. Downey

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

The article discusses the international rule of law as of July 2011, focusing on a historical overview of international affairs including the use of privateer maritime forces, the efforts of the U.S. to codify the international law in regards to maritime warfare, and the impact of the Crimean War on the development of the rule of international law. John F. Murphy's book "The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs" is also mentioned.

An Emerging Norm - Determining The Meaning And Legal Status Of The Responsibility To Protect, Jonah Eaton

Michigan Journal of International Law

The responsibility to protect, from its recent nativity in the 2001 report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), is the latest round in an old debate pitting the principle of nonintervention in the internal affairs of states against allowing such intervention to prevent gross and systematic violations of human rights. Advocates for the concept see it as an important new commitment by the international community, injecting new meaning into the tragically threadbare promise to never again allow mass atrocities to occur unchallenged. ICISS offered the concept of responsibility to protect as a new way to confront …

Private International Law, The Rule Of Law, And Economic Development, David P. Stewart

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

The article discusses private international law as of July 2011, focusing on the principles of civil law systems, conflict of laws, and jurisdiction. The concept of international judicial assistance, as laid out by the Hague Conference on Private International Law, is also examined. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law's role as a leader in the field of international commercial arbitration is mentioned.

Secessions, Coups, And The International Rule Of Law: Assessing The Decline Of The Effective Control Doctrine, Brad R. Roth

Law Faculty Research Publications

Attempted secessions (for example, Kosovo and Somaliland) and coups d'état (for example, Madagascar and Honduras in 2009) prompt contestation over whether or not legal status is to be conferred on local exercises of de facto authority. International legal standing has traditionally been established by victory in a trial by ordeal: a region initially integral to an existing state successfully establishes itself as an independent sovereign unit only where its secession movement creates - usually by decisive victory in an armed struggle -facts on the ground that appear irreversible; an insurgent faction successfully establishes itself as a government where it overthrows …

Promise Against Peril: Of Power, Purpose, And Principle In International Law, Robert C. Hockett

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

I take two recent monographs on international law – Mary Ellen O’Connell’s "The Power and Purpose of International Law," and Eric Posner’s "The Perils of Global Legalism," as case studies in a more general inquiry into the role of the "rule of law" ideal in domestic and international law. I argue that international and domestic law alike give varyingly explicit and effective expression to the rule of law ideal, and that the task before us is accordingly steadily to improve their effectiveness in so doing, not to pretend that there is no role for this ideal to play in interpreting …

Un Peacekeeping: A Sheep In Wolves Clothing? Review Of Un Peacekeeping In Lebanon, Somalia And Kosovo: Operational And Legal Issues In Practice, Jeremy I. Levitt

Journal Publications

Scholars and practitioners have been debating the legal and operational aspects of UN military operations since its enforcement actions in North Korea in 1950 and the Congo in 1960 (UN Operation in the Congo [ONUC]). Since then, the UN Security Council (UNSC) has authorized some semblance of enforcement action in Kuwait, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, East Timor and Albania, and authorized, sanctioned or co-deployed forces in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Coˆte d’Ivoire and Sudan. The scholarly literature is abundant with analysis of nearly every aspect of peacekeeping and peace enforcement …

The Rule Of Law In Comparative Perspective, Mortimer N.S. Sellers, Tadeusz Tomaszewski

Books

This new volume on The Rule of Law in Comparative Perspective compares the different conceptions of the rule of law that have developed in different legal cultures. Lawyers and legal scholars from various legal systems describe the social purposes and practical applications of the rule of law, and how it might be improved in the varied circumstances of their own courts and politics.

This book will be of interest to lawyers, judges, public officials, and to all those wishing to improve the fundamental structures of their own legal systems, by bringing equal justice to every person subject to the power …

Buying Our Way Out Of Corruption: Performace-Based Incentive Bonuses For Developing Country Politicians And Bureaucrats, Martin Skladany

Faculty Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

When Does Might Make Right? Using Force For Regime Change, John Linarelli

Scholarly Works

Should states use force to bring about regime change? International law recognizes no such grounds. This paper seeks to provide guidance from moral theory. The aim of this paper is to identify the moral grounds for the use of armed force by one state or a group of states, against another state, when the intention of the intervening states is to achieve a fundamental change in the character of the political and legal institutions of the other state. Lawyers tend to place the argument for regime change intervention within putative humanitarian intervention doctrines. The moral justification for humanitarian intervention is …

Toward A Theory Of Persuasive Authority, Chad Flanders

All Faculty Scholarship

The debate about the citation of foreign authorities has become stale. One side says that citing foreign authorities means being beholden to foreign sovereigns. The other side responds that this is nonsense, as the authorities are being used only for their "persuasive value." But do we even have a good idea of what it means to be a persuasive authority? My essay is the first to focus entirely on the notion of persuasive authority and to make the first steps towards providing a general theory of it. I make two major contributions. First, I try to show that there is …

Some Realism About Legal Certainty In The Globalization Of The Rule Of Law, James Maxeiner

All Faculty Scholarship

The rule of law is at the heart of globalization. It promises both international and domestic routes to peace, security, democracy, human rights and sustainable development worldwide. A central tenet of the rule of law is legal certainty. For most modern jurists, it is a matter of course that legal certainty is a systemic goal, even if that goal is not always fully realized. But for American jurists who count themselves legal realists, legal certainty is not even a flawed goal; it is a childish myth. This address seeks to raise awareness of this fundamental difference and to show its …

True Believers At Law: National Security Agendas, The Regulation Of Lawyers, And The Separation Of Powers, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

Ideological agendas distort the deliberation required for sound legal advice about national security. Elite government lawyers after September 11 advanced a theory at the expense of context, labeling legal constraints as "lawfare" against American interests. The lawfare critics failed to recognize that legal constraints can empower decision makers by reinforcing reputational and other long-term values. They also failed their history test, ignoring the lessons of presidents from Jefferson to Kennedy who rejected a rigid adherence to ideology in the national security realm. By discounting context, the construction of the lawfare paradigm produced dire results, including the torture memos drafted by …

Can International Law Survive The 21st Century - Yes: With Patience, Persistence, And A Peek At The Past, Dana Zartner Falstrom

San Diego International Law Journal

With the end of the Cold War-the principal international political framework that shaped the international system since the end of WWII-an increasing number of global tensions have arisen which have brought to the fore questions about the ability of existing international law to provide a guiding framework for state behavior. Debates over the limits of state sovereignty, the appropriateness of humanitarian intervention, the justness of pre-emptive war, the definition of self-defense, the legality of replacing a government in the interests of your ideals, and how to deal with terrorism have dominated discussions around the world. Moreover, these discussions have caused …

Pakistan's Political Upheaval: The Demise Of Nuclear Democracy, Jared M. Lee

Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Towards A Right To Privacy In Transnational Intelligence Networks, Francesca Bignami

Michigan Journal of International Law

Privacy is one of the most critical liberal rights to come under pressure from transnational intelligence gathering. This Article explores the many ways in which transnational intelligence networks intrude upon privacy and considers some of the possible forms of legal redress. Part II lays bare the different types of transnational intelligence networks that exist today. Part III begins the analysis of the privacy problem by examining the national level, where, over the past forty years, a legal framework has been developed to promote the right to privacy in domestic intelligence gathering. Part IV turns to the privacy problem transnationally, when …

An Unrecognized State In Foreign And International Courts: The Case Of The Republic Of China On Taiwan, Pasha L. Hsieh

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article provides a comparative analysis of the status of the Republic of China on Taiwan in foreign and international settings. Most existing literature written from the traditional public international law perspective focuses on Taiwan's separate statehood from China. This Article addresses an important pragmatic issue that international courts and courts in foreign countries frequently face: whether Taiwan is a "foreign State" for particular salutatory purposes in judicial proceedings. Part I of this Article provides an overview of China-Taiwan relations and the status of Taiwan under international law. I argue that the ROC on Taiwan has been a sovereign State …

Secrets And Lies: Intelligence Activities And The Rule Of Law In Times Of Crisis, Simon Chesterman

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article will consider generally the prospects for an approach to intelligence activities based on the rule of law, focusing on the problem of covertness. In particular, it will examine the debate over how law should deal with crises, epitomized by the "ticking time-bomb" hypothetical. On the one hand, some call for a pragmatic recognition that, in extremis, public officials may be required to act outside the law and should seek after-the-fact ratification of their "extra-legal measures." On the other hand, others argue that the embrace of "extra-legal measures" misconceives the rule of law, underestimates the capacity of a …

Individual And State Responsibility For Intelligence Gathering, Dieter Fleck

Michigan Journal of International Law

It is the purpose of this contribution to examine relevant norms and principles for assessing acts of intelligence gathering under international law (Part I), evaluate legal problems of attribution of such acts (Part II), and, where governments commit wrongful acts, look into circumstances precluding their wrongfulness (Part III). Based on these considerations, legal consequences for criminal accountability (Part IV) and reparation (Part V) will be discussed. Finally, some conclusions may be drawn (Part VI).

When To Push The Envelope: Legal Ethics, The Rule Of Law, And National Security Strategy, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Keynote Address, Jeffrey H. Smith

Michigan Journal of International Law

This afternoon, I want to touch briefly on a number of issues rather than discuss one or two to death. I chose this approach because it seemed an appropriate way to open a conference. I also chose it because I hope I can convince you that intelligence and international law interact in a way that simultaneously strengthens the law and improves intelligence; that law matters, especially in time of war; and that both good intelligence and good law have one common core value: integrity. So that you will have a sense of the perspective that I bring to this, I …

The Rule Of Law And The Military Commission, Stephen J. Ellmann

Articles & Chapters

This essay examines the underlying foundations of the Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. After laying out many of the features of the conflicting positions taken by the majority and dissents in the case, the article argues that the majority's judgment was by no means determined by the plain meaning of the statutory provisions at issue, nor even by the Steel Seizure framework of overlapping zones of executive and legislative power. Instead, three factors deserve special emphasis. The first is the Court's effort to protect, and catalyze, Congressional authority. The second is the Court's understanding of its own role …

Advancing The Rule Of Law: Report On The International Rule Of Law Symposium Convened By The American Bar Association November 9-10, 2005, Katharina Pistor

Faculty Scholarship

The American Bar Association hosted the first International Rule of Law Symposium in Washington, D.C. on November 9-10, 2005. The Symposium brought together representatives from all over the world who share a common interest in advancing the rule of law as a means to tackle major obstacles that hamper social and economic growth and development around the globe. Some were ministers and government officials, others entrepreneurs and business people, yet others represented non-governmental organizations or employees of multilateral donor organizations. The topics addressed at the Symposium were equally far reaching in scope, covering everything from poverty alleviation and improving public …

International Treaty Enforcement As A Public Good: Institutional Deterrent Sanctions In International Environmental Agreements, Tseming Yang

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article approaches the issues through the lens of two general questions. First, what are the functions of treaty enforcement and institutional deterrent sanctions? Second, what are the obstacles to the effective deployment of institutional deterrent sanctions in response to noncompliance? This Article elaborates on the instrumental purposes of enforcement as well as its independent normative function. Much of the analysis follows the recent stream of works that combines both international law and international relations theory. These works offer a rich understanding of the conduct of states and the functioning of international legal regimes.

Rebus Sic Stantibus: Notification Of Consular Rights After Medellin, Aaron A. Ostrovsky, Brandon E. Reavis

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Comment examines, through principles of public international law and U.S. jurisprudence, the relationship between U.S. courts and the ICJ to determine if the former are indeed bound by the latter's decisions, proprio motu, or if instead some Executive action is required to make the decisions binding on the judiciary. Part of this examination will entail a discussion of the potential for dialogue between the ICJ and U.S. courts to "pierce the veil of sovereignty" that traditionally conceals the inner workings of sovereign states from the scrutiny of international tribunals. Based on this assessment, the Comment then addresses how …

Picking Our Battles: A Strategy For The United States In The Wake Of Mexico's Becoming A State Party To The International Criminal Court, Rachel Harkavy

Georgia Law Review

When Mexico became a state party to the International Criminal Court, it put the United States in the position of choosing between honoring its relationship with Mexico or staying true to its strong objections to the ICC. The downside of the first option is that the United States would be backing down from its anti-ICC stance; the downside of the latter is that the United States would not only disrespect Mexico in pushing it to sign a bilateral immunity agreement, but, since Mexico would likely refuse to enter into such an agreement, the United States would also be put in …

Harry Potter And The Unforgivable Curses: Norm-Formation, Inconsistency, And The Rule Of Law In The Wizarding World, Aaron Schwabach

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.