In association with the International Commission of Jurists

Recent Posts

09 Apr

I have tried to stay quiet in the ongoing “Koh Wars” in the blogosphere, where Ed Whelan seems to be taking on the entire legal academic blogosphere himself and getting in a bad mood about it.  I am also conflicted. I am a former student of Professor Koh and I have always admired his energy, passion, and his willingness to...

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09 Apr

I would first like to thank David for his thoughtful reply to my initial post. I will address his three main points briefly and in order. First, David raises a very fair set of questions regarding the choice and emphasis of my case studies. I deliberately chose three networks that were widely seen as successful in the literature, so that they...

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09 Apr

All news is local, I guess, even in this supposedly globalized age.  So it is not surprising that it took an attack on a U.S. ship with a U.S. crew to focus the American public's attention on the piracy problem off the coast of Somalia.  But as readers of this blog can attest, the piracy issue has been flagged, addressed,...

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09 Apr

It’s a pleasure to be able to comment on Pierre-Hugues Verdier’s excellent, if critical, article on networks. I respond as a defender: in my view, networks have notched some impressive achievements, and at their best, have become primary vehicles of international governance. From bank capital adequacy to mutual recognition on drug regulation to accounting standards, their list of...

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09 Apr

I would first like to thank Opinio Juris for hosting this online symposium on my recent article, Transnational Regulatory Networks and Their Limits. Opinio Juris has quickly become an invaluable means of keeping up with current developments in international law, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to share my thoughts with you. In essence, the article sounds a cautionary...

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09 Apr

In the case of Moldova, the question will be whether the protests continue and, if so, their size. While Moldova's President Voronin is term-limited out of office, based on the recent parliamentary elections, the ruling Communist Party (headed by Voronin) will stay in power. The question is whether the protests will up-end the the political status quo. I'll write a longer analysis on...

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08 Apr

Mary Ellen O'Connell (whose recent book The Power and the Purpose of International Law was the subject of one of our book discussions) has a post at Balkinization called "Who's Afraid of International Law?" that considers the fear-mongering by some in the media concerning international law.   After briefly discussing the views of the Founders,  she writes: So why does Glen Beck seem to fear international law? Why...

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08 Apr

Ed Whelan responds to my post mostly through name-calling, labeling me an incoherent, liberal academic. Yet, no amount of ad hominem attack can obscure the basic weakness of his argument. He continues to worry that international elites will subvert the will of democratically elected leaders in the executive and legislative branches. But who exactly are these international elites and how...

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