Opinio Juris Symposium: “The Constitution’s Text in Foreign Affairs”

Opinio Juris is proud to host an online symposium on Michael Ramsey’s new book The Constitution’s Text in Foreign Affairs recently published by Harvard University Press.



We are especially pleased to have Professor Ramsey with us to discuss his book because it is, in my humble opinion, the most important monograph on U.S. foreign relations law in the past decade (one might even say, without hyperbole, that it is the most important U.S. foreign relations book of this century!).



Not since Professor Louis Henkin’s seminal treatise, Foreign Affairs and the United States Constitution has a single work attempted to provide a comprehensive treatment of all of the major constitutional questions raised by the U.S. system of foreign relations. And unlike Henkin’s work, Professor Ramsey attempts to offer a coherent theoretical approach to resolving questions of foreign relations law.



Of course, my comments here do not mean that I necessarily agree with everything in Professor Ramsey’s new book. Indeed, there is much with which I disagree. But there is no doubt in my mind that his book, and the theoretical approach he articulates, must be seriously considered by every scholar and lawyer working in the field of U.S. foreign relations law.



We will begin this morning with a brief opening post by Professor Ramsey. It will be followed by comments on different aspects of his book from three top scholars in this field: Martin Flaherty of Fordham Law School, Andrew Kent of Fordham Law School, and Opinio Juris’ own Peter Spiro of the Beasley Law School at Temple. I will also jump in with questions and comments for both Professor Ramsey and our guest commenters. Other Opinio Juris contributors and readers are, of course, welcome to jump in as well.



We look forward to a lively exchange over the next two days.