International Law Prof Blog

Call for Proposals: SIU Law Journal Symposium on Innovations in International Legal Education

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) Law Journal invites proposals for its symposium on “Innovations in International Legal Education During the Pandemic: Breaking Down Physical Barriers and Borders with Technology and Cutting-Edge Teaching Pedagogies.” This symposium will consider the challenges, opportunities, and issues related to changes in legal education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With an emphasis on international legal education, speakers will consider how legal educators developed innovative teaching pedagogies taking advantage of technology and breaking down physical barriers and borders. The symposium will be held virtually on Friday, April 9, 2021.

SIU Law Journal invite proposals for presentations and papers on a wide range of themes related to this topic. The journal is especially interested in the following general topics: (1) forging international collaborations during the pandemic; (2) teaching advocacy in an online setting; (3) adapting and transforming classroom experiences during the pandemic; (4) adapting and transforming clinical legal education during the pandemic; and (5) finding institutional growth opportunities during the pandemic. They encourage presentations with an international theme, but  are also interested in comparative perspectives. 

The Southern Illinois University Law Journal will consider papers from the symposium for publication in its fall issue.

To submit a proposal: Submit a brief abstract in no more than 250 words to Professor Cynthia Fountaine (cfountaine@law.siu.edu) by February 15, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Abstracts should include a brief description of the proposed presentation along with an explanation about how it fits into the theme of the symposium. Also  submit a current CV or bio along with your proposal.

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Trump Administration Designates Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terror

As one of the last acts of his administration, President Trump placed Cuba back on the list of states that sponsor terrorism today. The move means that Cuba is ineligible to receive certain financial aid and certain exports from the United States.  According to reports, the move is intended to make it more difficult for the new Biden Administration to return to Obama-era policies that eased restrictions on Cuba. U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo claims the move is in response to Cuba's continued harboring of an American fugitive from the 1970s and its refusal to extradite National Liberation Army members to Columbia.  Secretary Pompeo is quoted as saying that the Trump Administration is intent on: "denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home, and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere," (despite that fact that Fidel Castro died in 2016 and Raul stepped down from the presidency in 2018, although he remains part of government).

The United States first placed Cuba on the state sponsor of terrorism list in 1982. President Obama removed Cuba from the list in 2015 in an effort to improve U.S.-Cuba relations. The only other two states currently on the list are North Korea and Syria, nations for which there is more international agreement with respect to their role in terrorism.

The Biden Administration will be able to reverse the policy, but it is likely to take some time.

(cgb)

Congratulations to the New Leaders of the International Law Section of AALS

During the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), the Section on International Law elected its new 2021-22 Officers and Executive Committee Members as follows:

Chair: Hari Michele Osofsky, The Pennsylvania State University – Penn State Law

Chair-Elect: Leila N. Sadat, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law

Secretary: Jason Palmer, Stetson University College of Law

Treasurer: Sahar Aziz, Rutgers Law School

Executive Committee:

1. Lisa Benjamin, Lewis & Clark Law School
2. Cindy Buys, Southern Illinois University School of Law
3. Janie Chuang, American University Washington College of Law
4. George Edwards, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
5. Craig Martin, Washburn University School of Law
6. Thomas M. McDonnell, Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law
7. Victoria Sahani, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
8. Milena Sterio, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University
9. Mark E. Wojcik, UIC John Marshall Law School

Congratulations to all! Looking forward to some great programming.

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The International Criminal Court Under 'Assault'

Join a discussion with Cleveland-Marshall Law School Professor Milena Sterio, who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its staff on January 24, at 7 p.m. She will discuss how the U.S. economic sanctions on the ICC unconstitutionally interfere with the free speech rights of the plaintiffs and prevent their work pursuing justice on behalf of victims of war crimes around the world. The program is co-sponsored by the Southern Illinois Chapter of the UNA and the SIU School of Law. Register here.

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Your AALS International Law Online Dance Card

The 2021 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools is that organization's first online annual meeting. This year, law schools could purchase a registration package for all of their faculty, and it seems that most every U.S. law school did exactly that. If you're a faculty member at a U.S. law school, check with your school or the AALS to take advantage of the registration that will be free for you.

Here is a guide to help you negotiate the international law panels that will be offered during the 2021 AALS Annual Meeting:

All times are EASTERN STANDARD TIME ZONE. Panels sponsored or co-sponsored by the AALS Section of International Law are in bold. Visit the AALS Annual Meeting Website for more information about each panel and the speakers.

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

2:45 to 4:00 p.m. EST Section on International Human Rights, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law and Law and Religion: Building Bridges between Secular and Religious Human Rights Communities

4:15 to 5:30 p.m. EST Section on East Asian Law & Society, Co-Sponsored by Law and South Asian Studies: East Asian Responses to Crises - Pandemics, Trade, Climate, and Beyond

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST Section on East Asian Law and Society, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law: Bridging East-West Divides - The Role of Experts in an Age of Misinformation

12:15 to 1:15 p.m. EST. Section on International Law Networking Session. Network and enjoy informal conversation with colleagues from the AALS Section of International Law.

1:15 to 2:30 p.m. EST. Section on Comparative Law, Co-Sponsored by Africa, Constitutional Law, and International Human Rights: Socio-Economic Rights From a Global Perspective

2:45 to 4:00 p.m. EST. Section on Global Engagement, Co-Sponsored by Teaching Methods, Technology and Law and Legal Education: Virtual Mobility: Innovating and Promoting Global Legal Education in Times of Crisis.

2:45 to 5:30 p.m. EST (extended program): Section on Civil Rights and Poverty Law Joint Program, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law: Politics, Pandemic, and the Future of Civil Rights and Poverty Law

4:15 to 5:30 p.m. EST. Section on European Law: Works-in-Progress Panel in European Law

4:15 to 5:30 p.m. EST. Section on Immigration Law: Works-in-Progress

Thursday, January 7, 2021

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST. Section on Intellectual Property: Intellectual Property and Culture

1:15 to 2:30 p.m. EST. Section on Immigration Law: Outsourced Borders and Invisible Walls

4:15 to 5:30 p.m. EST. Section on International Law: Pedagogy Session: How to Pick an International Law Casebook

Friday, January 8, 2021

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. EST. University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law: Reopening International Programs. Discussion of the steps and challenges in reopening international programs. Sign up here: https://mcgeorge.wufoo.com/forms/mcgeorge-global-center-aals-breakfast-rsvp/

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST. Section on Islamic Law, Co-Sponsored by International Law and Law and Religion: Islam and the Modern International Legal Order

12:15 to 1:15 p.m. EST. Section on Immigration Law - Networking Session

1:15 to 2:30 p.m. EST. Section on International Law: The United Nations at 75 and the Challenges Facing International Law.  A panel with Hans Corell (Former Under Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel of the United Nations), Ved P. Nanda (Denver), Hari Michele Osofsky (Penn State Law and Penn School of International Affairs), George Edwards (Indiana McKinney School of Law), Leila N. Sadat (Washington University in St. Louis and President of the American Branch of the International Law Association), and Mark E. Wojcik (University of Illinois at Chicago).

4:15 to 5:30 p.m. EST. Section on International Human Rights, Co-Sponsored by Comparative Law: New Voices in International Human Rights

Saturday, January 9, 2021

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST. Section on Law and South Asian Studies, Co-Sponsored by East Asian Law & Society: Role of Public Health in Trade after the COVID Crisis.

1:15 to 2:30 p.m. EST. Section on Scholarship, Co-Sponsored by Constitutional Law, Comparative Law, and Law and Anthropology: Defining Scholarship in the Twenty-First Century.

4:15 to 5:30 p.m. EST. Section on International Law: New Voices in International Law and International Legal Research Update.

Visit the AALS Website for more information about each of these programs, including the names of speakers and descriptions of each panel.

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The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

Trading began in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on January 1, 2021, launching the largest Free Trade Area in the world.

The AfCFTA will cover a market with 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of $3 trillion. 54 of the 55 African Union member states (all but Eritrea) had signed the agreement establishing the AfCFTA and 33 of those countries have deposited their instruments of ratification.

The agreement will eliminate tariffs on 90% of intra-Africa goods. It is expected to aid in the movement of capital and people between countries. It is also expected to reduce non-tariff barriers by expediting customs procedures.

Click here for more information about the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

And here is a video with further information about the AfCFTA.

 

Hat tip to Toyin Umesiri.

(mew)

Best wishes for 2021!