Transnational Law Commons^™

International Abductions, Low Intensity Conflicts, And State Sovereignty: A Moral Inquiry, Fernando R. Tesón

Scholarly Publications

What are the moral principles bearing on operations such as an international abduction? International abductions are part of a larger category of international acts referred to as "low-intensity" operations. Can these acts be morally justified in time of peace? Can one nation, for example, rightfully claim that abductions of persons who are suspected of horrendous crimes by agents of another country violate the first country's sovereignty? Does the interest of the other country in bringing such persons to trial outweigh that sovereignty claim? If not, what interest of the second country could possibly justify the abduction? In any case, are …

The Hague Evidence Convention: The Need For Guidance On Procedures And Resolution Of Conflicts In Transnational Discovery, John C. Plaster

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

As international commercial disputes become more common, United States courts increasingly face difficult issues involved in transnational discovery. Two frequently encountered issues are choosing whether to use the discovery procedures of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or the Hague Evidence Convention and whether to enforce a discovery order when the order conflicts with a law of the state in which discovery is to occur. Although the Supreme Court has addressed both of these issues, it has left lower courts considerable discretion to deal with these issues case by case. Lower courts, therefore, have not been uniform in their approaches …

Toward An International Fourth Amendment: Rethinking Searches And Seizures Abroad After Verdugo-Urquidez, Eric Bentley, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Should the Fourth Amendment reach abroad to protect noncitizens when United States law enforcement agents conduct searches and seizures in a foreign state? The courts have assumed this to be a closed question since 1990, when the Supreme Court, in a broadly worded plurality opinion by Chief Justice Rehnquist, asserted that the Amendment protects only citizens and other members of the "national community." However, as this Article points out, the Chief Justice's plurality opinion in United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez did not represent the judgment of a majority of the Court and therefore does not foreclose continued consideration of the scope …

Case Digest, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This CASE DIGEST provides brief analyses of cases that represent current aspects of transnational law. The Digest includes cases that establish legal principles and cases that apply established legal principles to new factual situations. The cases are grouped in topical categories and references are given for further research.

Loan Guarantees, Israeli Settlements, And Middle East Peace, John Quigley

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Professor Quigley questions whether the United States should guarantee loans for Israel in light of Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank. The author believes that Israel's policies of displacing the local Palestinian population and transferring its own population into the West Bank violate the Geneva Civilian's Convention and the accepted principles of belligerent occupation. Consequently, Mr. Quigley argues that any aid the United States gives Israel might facilitate these illegitimate activities and make the aid grant itself an illegal act in the eyes of the international community. Professor Quigley concludes that the United States support of Israel's settlement activities …

Foreword: Some Implications Of The Term "Transnational", Harold G. Maier

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

I think it is safe to say that no other body of law has changed as much during the Twentieth Century as has the law applicable to international matters. When the late Judge Phillip C. Jessup coined the term "transnational law,"' he did so with the recognition that human affairs could not properly be confined by the artificial territorial boundaries of nation-states. When the Vanderbilt International, the original incarnation of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, sought a new name to mark its transition from duplicated to printed format, it selected Jessup's characterization to emphasize global interdependence, rather than the …

Obscured Visions: Policy, Power, And Discretion In Transnational Discovery, David J. Gerber

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Essay addresses issues involving the discovery of information located outside the United States. Specifically, it deals with some of the problems created by the lack of appropriate limits on United States discovery procedures. Professor Gerber first analyzes the extent of judicial discretion in the United States in matters concerning extraterritorial discovery. The analysis encompasses the underlying legal bases for the exercise of discretion as well as the political and institutional factors that influence the uses of discretion.

Next, the Essay focuses on the international consequences of the virtually unlimited discretion courts in the United States exercise in discovery matters. …

Transnational Alignment Of Nongovernmental Organizations For Global Environmental Action, Maria Garner

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note proposes an alternative to the current international legal system for addressing the worldwide environmental crisis. The author describes the conditions of the environment and argues that the current legal system is incapable of responding to the already severe global environmental crisis. The author suggests that a network of environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) can obtain results that are currently beyond the capabilities of either individual states or traditional international organizations. The main function of this type of network would be to collect and disseminate information to facilitate environmental action. The author also proposes a specific construction for an environmental …

Case Digest-Vol.24-No.1, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This CASE DIGEST provides brief analyses of cases that represent current aspects of transnational law. The Digest includes cases that establish legal principles and cases that apply established legal principles to new factual situations. The cases are grouped in topical categories and references are given for further research.

I. NATIVE AMERICANS/JURISDICTION NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBAL COURT DOMESTIC RELATIONS DETERMINATION ENTITLED TO FULL FAITH AND CREDIT PURSUANT TO INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT OF 1978 DESPITE CHALLENGE BY STATE OF ALASKA BASED ON PUBLIC LAW 280. Native Village of Venetie LR.A. Council v. Alaska, 918 F.2d 797 (9th Cir. 1990).

II. INTERNATIONAL TRADE …

Case Digest, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

United States Tax Principles Govern Determination of Accumulated Profits Under Foreign Tax Credit Section of Internal Revenue Code, United States v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 110 S. Ct. 1172 (1990).

Tax Injunction Act Bars Foreign Parent of Subsidiary Doing Business in California from Raising Foreign Commerce Objections to Tax Board's Formula Franchise Tax Board of California v. Alcan Aluminum Ltd. 110 S. Ct. 661 (1990).

Correspondence Bank Account with United States Trust Company Held Insufficient Contact with United States to Establish Subject Matter Jurisdiction under the FSIA--International Housing Ltd. v. Rafidain Bank Iraq, 893 F.2d 8(2d Cir. 1989).

Successful …

Case Digest, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Case Digest provides brief analyses of cases that address current transnational legal issues. The Digest includes cases that set forth new legal principles and cases that apply established legal principles to new factual situations. The cases have topical headings and references are given for further research.

EL SALVADORAN SOLDIER WHO REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN ASSASSINATION SCHEME GRANTED POLITICAL ASYLUM IN THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE HE DEMONSTRATED "WELL-FOUNDED FEAR" OF PERSECUTION IN EL SALVADOR, Barraza Rivera v. Immigration & Naturalization Service, 913 F.2d 1443 (9th Cir. 1990).

THIRD CIRCUIT HOLDS THAT THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT DOES NOT APPLY …

Creditor Equality In Transnational Bankruptcies: The United States Position, Ulrich Huber

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

In addition to giving a fresh start to the debtor, a primary goal of bankruptcy law (at least of liquidation bankruptcy) is to distribute equally the debtor's assets to his creditors. Although the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 and its 1984 Amendments (collectively "the Code") provide many ways of achieving this goal in domestic bankruptcies, these methods often prove to be of little help when a debtor's assets are located in more than one country.

Equality of creditors regardless of their origin, however, is considered essential for the development of international trade. International trade has grown substantially, if not explosively, …

The Multinational's Dilemma: The Ibm Proceeding In Europe, William F. Colby Jr.

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This Comment will discuss the extraterritorial application of antitrust legislation in general and the international conflicts produced thereby.

Transnational Litigation In American Courts: An Overview Of Problems And Issues, Robert B. Von Mehren

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This Article discusses problems and issues that attorneys practicing in the area of transnational litigation must understand. These issues include obtaining jurisdiction, forum non conveniens, and service of summons.

The Transnational Boycott As Economic Coercion In International Law: Policy, Place, And Practice, Christopher C. Joyner

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Despite the technological and political intricacies that earmark the current international economic system, the transnational boycott remains a prominent technique of international economic coercion.

The transnational boycott can be described as a coercive quasi-conspiratorial combination effort by one state to prevent another state from transacting commercial business. Threats or intimidation may be directed at the target state's customers to induce them to withhold or withdraw their patronage. While the ends and means of transnational boycotts may seem clear, their legal status appears to be open to conjecture. This situation can be attributed in no small part to the more sophisticated …

International Electronic Funds Transfer System: Swift And Its Interface With The New Payments Code, Thomas J. Karl

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

Increase in international trade and travel in recent years has increased the volume of international payments, most of which have traditionally been handled by commercial banks. Because paper provided the legal basis for these transactions, they were carried out via fairly complicated documents transmitted by mail. When the sums involved were very large or the time factor particularly important, Telex was used to expedite the procedure.

These factors compelled the banking world to develop a computerized international transfer system. The desired system would facilitate processing international transactions through (1) a high degree of standardization in the types of documents, procedures, …

Investment And The Andean Pact: From Political Response To Legal Structures To Safe Harbors, Robert Carcano

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

The Latin American experience clearly establishes that economic development involves profound social and political change. Despite modernization efforts, economuc benefits eluded Latin American leaders. This fact led to the widespread perception that a new international legal strucure had to be forged if the region's myriad social concerns were to be addressed. Regional economic integration was a necessary first step.

Integration enabled Latin American statesmen to address insurmountable national problems on a regional level. In the Latin American context, however, economic integration efforts became intertwined with the new nationalism. Despite this beginning, the structures that eventually arose formed a relationship which …

Legal Issues Relating To The Canadian National Energy Program, Jean-Paul Lacasse

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Since its unveiling on October 28, 1980, Canada's National Energy Program has been commented upon abundantly in government circles, newspaper articles, trade magazines, and financial industry seminars, drawing both oil industry and foreign reactions. It has received less notice in scholarly publications, however, perhaps because it is a complex and continuously changing program that did not become effective until legislation was enacted. The purpose of this Article is to sketch a broad picture of the National Energy Program (NEP) while focusing on its Canadianization aspects, the new oil and gas taxation situation, and the Program's various transnational law implications. As …

Books Received, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Law of Transnational Business Transactions

Edited by Ved P. Nanda

New York: Clark Boardman Company, Ltd., 1981.Pp. 631. Looseleaf (Supplemented periodically). $75.00.

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Managing the Risks of International Agreement

By Richard B. Bilder

Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1981. Pp. 302. $22.50.

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The Family in International Law: Some Emerging Problems

Edited by Richard B. Lillich

Charlottesville, Virginia: The Michie Company, 1981. Pp. 164.

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International Aspects of Criminal Law: Enforcing United States Law in the World Community

Edited by Richard B. Lillich

Charlottesville, Virginia: The Michie Company, 1981. Pp.245.

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Boundaries: National Autonomy and its Limits …

Symposium Introduction, Terry Calvani

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Symposium issue of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law presents a collection of excellent articles on current antitrust law and United States international trade practices by some of the most knowledgeable scholars in the field, all of whom possess not only superb academic credentials but also a wealth of experience in international antitrust practice. Wilbur Fugate, former chief of the Foreign Commerce Section of the Antitrust Division and a distinguished author on antitrust and foreign commerce, opens the Symposium by examining the Webb-Pomerene Act" in light of the very recently enacted Export Trading Company Act of 1982...

The Symposium …

Books Received, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Books Received

Israel and Palestine: Assault on the Law of Nations

By Julius Stone

Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981. Pp. 223.

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An Introduction to Javanese Law

By M. C. Hoadley and M. B.Hooker

Tucson: The University of Arizona Press (The Association for Asian Studies), 1981. Pp. 292. $9.95.

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Transnational Enterprises in a New International System

By Klaus W. Grewlich

Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands: Sijthoff & Noordhoff, 1980. Pp. 229.

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Treaties of the People's Republic of China, 1949-1978: Annotated Compilation

By Grant F. Rhode and Reid E. Whitlock

Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, …

Book Reviews, Robert Belton, Dr. Nasrollah S. Fatemi, Ann L. Hollick

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Book Reviews ================

Equal Employment Policy for Women: Strategies for Implementation in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe

Ronnie Steinberg Ratner, ed.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press. Pp. xxii, 520

Reviewed by Robert Belton

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The Host State of Transnational Corporations

Juha Kuusi

England: Saxon House. 1978. Pp. 117. $25.25

Reviewed by Dr. Nasrollah S. Fatemi

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The Enclosure of Ocean Resources: Economics and the Law of the Sea

Ross D. Eckert

Stanford: Hoover Institution. 1979.Pp. xvi, 390. $16.95

Reviewed by Ann L. Hollick

Reciprocal Influence Of British And United States Law, Clark C. Siewert

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The influence of British and United States courts on each other's statutory and decisional law has been primarily indirect. Although few fundamental differences exist between the legal principles, methods, and concepts of the two major common law jurisdictions, the courts in both countries have resisted the use of the other's case law. This is unfortunate because a United States or an English case might provide a fresh perspective for a domestic court that otherwise feels bound by a previous line of reasoning. Since cases from foreign jurisdictions are most relevant in dealing with a question of international or transnational law, …

Case Digest, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

CASE DIGEST

This Case Digest provides brief analyses of cases that represent current aspects of transnational law. The digest includes cases that apply established legal principles to new and different factual situations. The cases are grouped in topical categories, and references are given for further research.

THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF OBTAINING QUASI IN REM JURISDICTION BY MARITIME ATTACHMENT IS NOT LIMITED BY Shaffer v. Heitner

MAXIMUM LIMITS ON DISABILITY BENEFITS ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO DEATH BENEFITS PAYABLE UNDER THE LONGSHOREMEN'S AND HARBORWORKERS' COMPENSATION AcT

REFUSAL OF INS DISTRICT DIRECTOR TO GRANT NON-PRIORITY OR DEFERRED STATUS IS SUBJECT TO THE ARBITRARY AND …

Books Received, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

THE HOST STATE AND THE TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION: AN ANALYSIS OF LEGAL RELATIONSHIPS

By Juha Kuusi

Farnborough, England: Saxon House, 1979. Pp. 177. $25.25 (Distributed by Renouf USA, Brookfield, Vermont.)

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THE INDIRECT CREDIT Vol. II

By Gerald Ball and Elizabeth A.Owens

Cambridge, Mass.: The International Tax Program, Harvard Law School, 1979. Pp. 406. $40.00.

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JURIDICA: ANUARIO DEL DEPARTAMENTO DEL DERECHO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD IBEROAMERICANA

Edited by Enrique Portilla Osio Mexico City: Universidad Iberoamericano. 1978. Pp. 595.

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LES SANCTIONS PRIVATES DE DROITS Ou DE QUALITE DANS LES ORGANISATIONS INTERNATIONALES SPECIALISEES

By Charles Leben Brussels: Emile Bruylant. 1979. Pp. 410. …

Legislating Business Morality: A Look At Efforts By Two International Organizations To Deal With Questionable Behavior By Transnational Corporations, James S. Glascock

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The news media have been filled in recent years with stories of questionable conduct by transnational corporations (TNCs). Allegations and admissions of bribes and "dubious" payments or "improper" benefits to governmental and political figures and groups have been rife. In response, numerous national bodies have set about the task of investigating and dealing with questionable TNC conduct. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the State Department, the Defense Department, the Justice Department, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Congress, and the Executive have been active on the problem.

Various international bodies have also …

Fact And Fiction Concerning Multinational Labor Relations, John C. Shearer

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This article briefly reviews the magnitude, nature, and growth of the foreign investments of American-based MNCs, especially those in the nine member countries of the European Community (EC), and summarizes the major union fears and aspirations that arise from the rapid growth in scope and power of MNCs. The article focuses on the realities and fantasies surrounding the prospects for multinational collective bargaining with MNCs, which is widely viewed as the most feasible means by which unions can protect their vital interests threatened by MNCs. Unfortunately, in discussions of this matter considerable fiction is often mixed with fact. Some observers …

Erosion Of Trade Union Power Through Multinational Enterprises?, Hans Gunter

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The present article explores the effects of the operations and growth of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on power, role, and legitimation of the trade unions within the national industrial relations systems in the industrialized countries of Western Europe and North America. This study neglects the effects of MNEs on international union cooperation and labor solidarity, which are dealt with in other contributions to this issue. This focus reflects the author's thesis that the main trade union concern and strategy in the countries in question is the integration of MNEs into the existing national industrial relations setting, while the development of border-crossing, …

The Canada Business Corporations Act: Some Aspects Of Transnational Interest, Robert W.V. Dickerson, David L. Vaughan

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

With passage into law on March 24, 1975, of the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) it is probably safe to say by way of provocative introduction that Canada has enacted the most modern corporation law in the English-speaking world. The Act is to be proclaimed in force at the end of December, 1975. Although the predecessor statute, the Canada Corporations Act, will remain in force, no new corporations may be incorporated under it.

Legal Aspects Of A United States Foreign Sports Policy, James A.R. Nafziger

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The father of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, envisaged international athletic exchange as the "free trade of the future." No nation would regulate this trade to its political advantage. The Olympic Games, as well as other international political arenas, would be unpolluted by political currents. To a remarkable extent, considering the course of twentieth century history, these aspirations have been met. But athletic exchange, like other forms of human interaction, nevertheless remains exposed to sovereign intervention; a measure of politics is inevitable in any transnational activity, whether in the United Nations or a global convention of medieval …