John Bellinger has been legal adviser to the State Department for the past four years. In this speech to the International Law Weekend (October 17, 2008), he offers some reflections on his experience. (We here at OJ were privileged to have John guest blog here in a unique and highly successful experiment in 'blogging with the Legal Adviser'.) I excerpt...
Hope springs eternal in the Sudan -- at least on the part of the government. Apparently, Khartoum has managed to convince itself that the Pre-Trial Chamber's recent request for additional information concerning the charges against Bashir means that it intends to dismiss those charges: The Sudanese government hailed a decision by the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requesting more...
While I am on the subject of relatively new blogs, I have to confess that I've been remiss in plugging one of my favorites, wronging rights, the product of the brilliant and fiendish minds of Amanda Taub and Kate Cronin-Furman. (For their "self-descriptions," see here.) I stand behind my description of the blog that they have kindly quoted on their...
Anyone interested in genocide issues would do well to check out the (relatively) new Stop Genocide Blog, a solo effort by the mysterious Michelle F. that is part of change.org's blog network. It's wonderfully written and follows Darfur, the DRC, and other situations much more closely than I do here. Check it out!...
That's the situation with the Sudanese government's latest contribution to the "peace" process: The United States, Darfuri rebels and Sudanese opposition parties have greeted a new initiative to solve the Darfur crisis with scepticism and boycotts, while Khartoum, the Arab League and the UN say it’s the region’s best hope. Widespread doubts about the credibility of the process prevail ahead of deliberations...
For the last several years, I have been watching with fascination and admiration as my friend and Washington College of Law colleague, Daniel Bradlow, has been developing more or less from scratch an innovative tool in development finance for his native South Africa, what he has titled "Reconciliation and Development Bonds." Professor Bradlow heads the international legal studies program at...
I apologize for arriving late to the party; I have only just had a chance to read Professor Ring's fascinating article completely through. There are many reasons why I would come to this article already predisposed to like it - I started out life as an international tax lawyer, for example, and I am also an unapologetic defender within the...
Both Professor Brooks and Professor Christians have identified important strands and tensions in the consideration of international tax, sovereignty, global relations among states, and universal commitments to humanity. Just reading their comments inspires me to continue researching these questions. Their observations tap into two significant unresolved issues of international tax and international relations: (1) How should the reality of politics,...
[Professor Allison Christians is Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School] Professor Ring frames sovereignty as responsive to the basic relationship between people and government and thereby attempts to redeem the concept from its current status as “rhetorical camouflage” in tax policy debate. Her analysis presents a timely and important contribution and reflects the growing attention among...
[Professor Kimberley Brooks is H. Heward Stikeman Chair in the Law of Taxation at McGill University] Diane Ring’s piece is, to borrow an analogy from Al Purdy, one of Canada’s finest and most popular poets, like a good jazz combo: it has a dominant unifying idea, tells a number of stories simultaneously, keeps a firm hand on the underlying themes, and...
[Professor Diane Ring is Professor of Law at Boston College Law School] The international tax problems of today are typically beyond the scope of a single nation to solve. However, the prospect of multinational problem solving, often under the auspices of an international organization, unleashes objections grounded in sovereignty. Despite widespread reliance on sovereignty arguments, little attention has been directed at...
I appreciate the remarks of Ken, Greg, and Anne. Just a few quick thoughts by way of response. First, I like the way Greg and Anne describe the teleology of the Nobel Peace Prize. I think that is an accurate way to put it. There are undeniable themes that wax and wane in the history of...
