The "Call for Papers" section can now be found at http://www.insidejustice.com/law/index.php/CallForPapers. More

One year ago, I wrote a small booklet, "The Evil Dictator's Guide to Genocide: Deliberate Infectious Disease Spread," to accompany a presentation I gave on possible criminal culpability for intentional infectious disease spread. "The Evil Dictator's Guide to Genocide" provides Machiavellian guidance on the benefits, risks, and possible legal consequences of using infectious diseases as weapons against targeted or vulnerable populations. The recent swine flu outbreak, along with my post yesterday discussing the lack of the World Health Organization's enforcement authority, reminded me again of the ease by which an evil leader could take advantage of this latest disease outbreak. Back by popular demand, you can download a copy of the booklet for free. Circulation to evil dictators is prohibited by law. More

The SOLON War Crimes Conference, themed "Retrospectives and Prospects," took place on 19-21 February 2009 at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London University, in association with SOLON and The Institute of Historical Research. Reprinted here with permission is the conference report and transcript of the plenary talk by Lesley Abdela. More

On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared the swine flu outbreak in Mexico and the United States to constitute a "public health emergency of international concern" under the International Health Regulations, a legally binding international instrument on disease prevention, surveillance, control, and response adopted by 194 countries. Countries with confirmed cases of swine flu are asked to report all probable and confirmed cases and deaths to WHO on a daily basis. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan also called upon all countries to intensify their surveillance and detection of unusual influenza-like outbreaks and cases of severe pneumonia. This discussion explores the International Health Regulations, its provisions for infectious disease containment, what constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, and the scope of enforcement authority to thwart a global pandemic. More

This panel, at the 2009 ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting, addressed common pitfalls in negotiating and drafting international agreements. Panelists included Pierre-Yves Gunter, Calvin Hamilton, Florian Jörg, Fabiano Deffenti, and Erik B. Wulff. Panelists shared their "war stories" of cross-border transactions. The panelists agreed that lawyers need cross-cultural understanding and training. They provided tips on how to deal with contract translations, choice of law, award enforcement, and arbitration. The following summarizes their recommendations and real-world vignettes. I also provide a list of pragmatic tips based on my experiences with software development and data outsourcing. More

This week, the Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill will hold four days of hearings to discuss a 648-page draft bill, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," sponsored by two senior House Democrats, Representatives Waxman and Markey. Last week, at the 2009 ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting, Joseph Dellapenna moderated a discussion on Obama's market-based cap-and-trade proposal for carbon emissions with three panelists: Michael Gerrard, Jeffrey Gracer, and Kenneth S. Rivlin. The session was entitled, "Can Carbon Trade Save the World (or Does the World Need to Be Saved from Carbon Trading)?" These experts examined the concerns about market manipulation, the adequacy of possible regulation, the pros and cons of auctions, the lessons learned from other countries with traditional cap-and-trade systems, and possible policy alternatives. Here are some notes that I took during the session. More

Jeffrey L. Bleich, Special Counsel to President Barack Obama in the White House, moderated a discussion on human rights in the new administration with four panelists: Santiago Canton, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS); William Davis, the Director of the United Nations Information Center in Washington, D.C.; Ambassador Karen Stewart with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U. S. Department of State; and Chip Pitts, an international attorney with Amnesty International. The panel was part of the 2009 ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting, held 14-18 April 2009 in Washington, D.C. The panelists provided reflections and recommendations with respect to the Durban Review Conference, the Human Rights Council, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, the Alien Tort Claims Act, China, Sudan, Cuba, and actions for the Obama administration to take within the next 30 days. More

The 2009 ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting was held 14-18 April 2009 at The Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. There were 80+ CLE programs, a series of networking events every day and evening, and special events at The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of State. I tweeted (#ABA) from the event. This blog posting provides short summaries of some of the sessions. Topics of special interest are separate blog postings. More

The Internet of the Future is the theme of the Second International ICST Symposium on Global Information Governance (ISGIG) to be held 15-17 September 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic. Legal researchers, academicians, practitioners, and others are invited to submit original papers describing new research, applications, or case studies. Encouraged topics include national and regional frameworks for IT governance, cyberterrorism, cybercrime, privacy, and virtual worlds. The deadline is 17 April 2009. More

The Kauffman Foundation Legal Institute has launched a major, multi-year initiative to support research and writing on legal subjects relating to innovation and economic growth. Several sessions at the Institute will be devoted to discussing working papers or draft manuscripts. The Institute solicits abstracts, outlines, or actual working papers by scholars seeking to present and discuss their work this summer in California. Air travel, ground transportation in California, and lodging will be covered for authors of accepted papers. The deadline is 15 April 2009. More

Judge Rosalyn Higgins, the outgoing President of the International Court of Justice (2006-2009) and member of the Court since 1995, recently spoke at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) and the Jessup 50th Anniversary Celebration. She offered insights on role of the ICJ, changes within the court, and the future of international law. The following summary includes her remarks at both events. More

ICJ President Hisashi Owada, Judge Thomas Buergenthal, and Judge Bruno Simma participated in the plenary session on 27 March 2009 at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). Lucy Reed and Ralph Steinhardt served as the moderators. More

Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), delivered the Annual Grotius Lecture on 25 March 2009 at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). His lecture, titled "Focusing on the Good or the Bad: What Can International Environmental Law Do to Accelerate The Transition Towards A Green Economy?" called for increased incentive-based systems rather than deterrence or punishment. The following provides an overview and analysis of his lecture. Dinah Shelton (GWU) provided remarks. More

The 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) took place 25-28 March 2009 at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. This year's theme, "International Law as Law," focused largely on state responsibility, including R2P, domestic enforcement of international tribunal decisions, treaty ratification and compliance, nuclear nonproliferation, law of the sea, and the role of human rights. Special interest sessions addressed feminism, the global financial crisis, intellectual property rights in China, the future for Guantanamo detainees, legal empowerment of the poor, whaling, and the 2005 Hague Convention on Choice-of-Court Agreements. The following are highlights and event summaries from the plenary, special, and a few of the 30+ regular sessions. More

The Colombian Yearbook of International Law (CYIL) is accepting submissions for Volume 3 of its Review, due to be published in 2010. Articles should be 25-35 pages. Submissions should address topical issues in public and private international law. Articles may be in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese. The deadline is 31 October 2009. More

The latest issue of the Lewis & Clark Law Review features four articles based on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2008 decision in Medellín v. Texas. Ingrid Wuerth (Vanderbilt) questions the Court's application of Presidential powers under Youngstown to the controlling legal issue of treaty interpretation. Paul B. Stephan (University of Virginia) explores the role of comity in states' compliance with the judgments of the International Court of Justice and the failure of the U.S. Supreme Court to address delegations to the Executive. Specifically, he discusses what is required for a treaty to give the President unilateral authority to make domestic law. John T. Parry (Lewis & Clark) offers a primer on treaties and 42 U.S.C. 1983, which governs civil actions for the deprivation of rights. He argues that treaties and statutes should be treated the same under §1983. Lastly, Scott W. Lyons (Acting Director of Programs, ASIL) explores the limitations of remedies for treaty violations and argues that unilateral, self-help measures may be increasingly sought by other countries in the absence of stronger enforcement measures of ICJ decisions. The full text of the articles is available online for free. More

The Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law (IJHRL) is currently seeking submissions for its 2009-2010 annual publication. IJHRL is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal designed to address international human rights issues. The journal invites quality submissions from scholars, jurists, and professionals in fields related to human rights and international humanitarian law. IJHRL also welcomes review essays, book reviews, and comments/notes. Early submissions are encouraged. The deadline is 1 July 2009. More

The winning 2009 Jessup International Moot Court Competition team from the Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia sent me photos to post and additional information about the team. El equipo de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de los Andes, Colombia me envió fotos para enviar y obtener información adicional acerca del equipo. More

The second annual conference of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) will be held 22-24 October 2009 at the Key Bridge Marriott in Washington, D.C. The Association currently is seeking proposals to present papers at the 2009 conference. Abstracts should pertain to theme of the conference and consist of a one page outline of the subject. Among the areas of scholarship that ASMEA is interested in exploring are the issues relating to conflict and crime in Africa and the Middle East and their mitigation including genocide, terrorism, organized crime, corruption, piracy, truth and reconciliation commissions, and democratization. The deadline is 1 June 2009. More

The International Law Section of the Texas State Bar invites papers from law students. Entries should address any area of international law. Winning articles will be considered for publication in the Texas Transnational Law Quaterly. Winners will receive free admission to the Section's 22nd Annual International Law Institute 2010. The competition is open to any law student at a ABA-accredited law school during the 2008-2009 academic year. The deadline is 31 May 2009. More

Wondering how to prepare for the oral rounds of the Jessup International Moot Court Competition? During the International Rounds of the 50th Jessup in Washington, D.C., 22-28 March, 2009, I asked 21 fellow judges for their thoughts on what advice they would give to future Jessup competitors. Until now, their advice has been as confidential as the Bench Memorandum provided to judges each year. A compilation of their recommendations is given below, along with additional suggestions from bailiffs, coaches, advisors, and national administrators. Your fellow competitors also graciously provided helpful hints, fondly termed "Reverse Tips." More