Upcoming International Law Conferences

Friends and readers of Opinio Juris pass along the following conference announcements from Southern Methodist University/Dedman Law School (11/7: “The Rise of Transnational Networks”) and Washburn University Law School (11/13-14 “Rule of Law and the Global War on Terrorism: Detainees, Interrogations, and Military Commissions”).  They both look terrific (one even features one OJ blogger and several OJ alums!) so check them out if you can.  More details:

The Rise of Transnational Networks
SMU Dedman School of Law
November 7, 2008

In the last few decades, judges, legislators, prosecutors, and agency officials have increasingly been coordinating policy and decision-making across borders through informal networks. Such coordination has often occurred without formal legal sanction and is especially prominent in areas of cross-border regulation, including banking, antitrust, environmental protection, and securities law. But it also occurs in more politically charged areas, such as constitutional law, national security, law enforcement, and human rights.

This conference will review the record of transnational networks and the promise they hold for deeper and more effective international cooperation. Under what conditions are transnational networks likely to arise and how do they function? What are their advantages over traditional diplomacy and international organizations, and in what circumstances are networks most likely to be successful? What are some of the main obstacles to their legitimacy and effectiveness, and how can these obstacles be overcome?

The Rule of Law and the Global War on Terrorism: Detainees,
Interrogations, and Military Commissions

November 13-14, 2008
Sponsored by the Washburn University School of Law Center for Law and
Government and the Washburn Law Journal

The United States Constitution was founded on the Rule of Law. The
Global War on Terrorism has tested the limits of our constitutional
values and has posed unprecedented challenges for the U.S. legal
system. Throughout these difficult times, the federal courts have been
instrumental in upholding the Rule of Law.

The Rule of Law and the Global War on Terrorism Symposium will examine
legal implications of governmental actions taken in response to the
attacks of September 11, 2001. Our speakers and participants will
reevaluate and reassess these complex issues to explore possible ways
forward as our nation prepares for a new administration.

Speakers and presenters include: William C. Banks; Christopher W.
Behan; George P. Fletcher; David J. R. Frakt; David E. Graham; Amos
Guiora; Samuel V. Jones; Joseph Margulies; The Honorable Alberto J.
Mora; Mary Ellen O’Connell; Michael P. O’Connor; Ambassador Pierre-
Richard Prosper; Celia Rumann; Thomas J. Romig; Philippe Sands; Charlie
Savage; Robert F. Turner; Sean Watts; and Noah S. Weisbord.  Papers by
some of these speakers will be published in upcoming issues of the
Washburn Law Journal.