18 Sep International Law Weekend 2008 – The United States and International Law: Legal Traditions and Future Possibilities
The oft-discussed relationship of the United States and International Law will be the theme of this year’s International Law Weekend of the American Branch of the International Law Association. The conference will be held October 16-18, 2008, at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 West 44th Street, New York City.
The kick-off panel will focus (of course) on the U.S. Presidency. A New Presidency: A New U.S. Policy at the U.N.? will include Republican and Democratic strategists and academic commentators. Additionally, the keynote speaker at the annual luncheon on Friday, October 17, at 12:30 p.m. will be John Bellinger, the Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State. That Friday evening, the Annual Gala Reception will be hosted by the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations. The ILW 2008 Program will also feature over thirty other panels, addressing topics relating to international trade and investment, international adjudication and arbitration, human rights, international law in U.S. courts, generation of international law, transitional justice and international criminal law, and the international environment. To view the complete ILW schedule and to register for the conference, please visit http://www.ilsa.org/conference/ILW.php or www.ambranch.org.
I question whether John Bellinger is an appropriate keynote speaker at such an event since he has spent so much time trying to subvert international law in efforts to have a new Geneva Convention put in place, as an advisor in the White House, and as Legal Adviser in contrast to his predecessor Taft’s positions. I think we should demur from rehabilitating these persons, no matter their eagerness to appear “saviors of international law” during the past 8 years.
Best,
Ben