Harvard International Law Journal, Vol. 52(1): Online Symposium

The Harvard International Law Journal is proud to partake in its inaugural online symposium hosted by Opinio Juris. Beginning today, each day this week we will be bringing you discussion surrounding one of the articles in our recently released Volume 52, Issue 1. We would like to thank Opinio Juris for partnering with us, as well as the many contributors who have made this online symposium possible.

Our discussion begins today with Mutual Recognition in International Finance by Pierre-Hugues Verdier (U. Virginia). This article on transnational financial regulation proposes a theoretical account of mutual recognition that identifies its potential benefits, the cooperation problems it raises, and the resulting institutional frameworks in multilateral and bilateral settings. Stavros Gadinis (U.C. Berkeley) and Eric Pan (Cardozo) will provide responses to this article.

On Tuesday we will feature What if Europe Held an Election and No One Cared? by David Schleicher (George Mason). This article takes a comparative look at European Parliament elections, finding that their mismatch problem has many similarities with American state and local elections and then proposing election law solutions. Samuel Issacharoff (NYU) and Erin F. Delaney (Columbia) provide a joint response to this article.

Wednesday will provide debate over On a Differential Law of War by Gabriella Blum (Harvard). This article offers an analytical framework for considering whether some countries should be held to higher humanitarian standards during war by analogizing to international trade and climate agreements where obligations have been linked to capabilities through the principle of Common-but-Differentiated Responsibilities (CDRs). Kevin Jon Heller (Melbourne) will give his thoughts on this article.

On Thursday the discussion will shift to The Evolution of Hostile Takeover Regimes in Developed and Emerging Markets: An Analytical Framework by John Armour (Oxford), Jack B. Jacobs (Justice, Delaware Supreme Court) & Curtis J. Milhaupt (Columbia). This article traces the development of national regulatory responses in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and proposes an analytical framework that is then extrapolated to provide insights on emerging markets including China, India, and Brazil. A response will be provided Zen Shishido (Hitotsubashi University, Japan).

Finally, on Friday, we will conclude with Universal Exceptionalism in International Law by Anu Bradford (U. Chicago) & Eric A. Posner (U. Chicago). This article argues that all major powers, not just the United States, are similarly “exceptionalist,” in the sense that they take distinctive approaches to international law that reflect their values and interests. Robert Ahdieh (Emory) will provide his thoughts on the article.

We hope you join us all week for our launch of Volume 52, Issue 1 and our first ever Opinio Juris Symposium.