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Preparing for the 110th ASIL Annual Meeting

Shortly, academics, practitioners, and students will gather in Washington, D.C. to reflect upon shifting frontiers in the world and in law, to devise new modes of thinking, and to confront the questions they present. At the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on 30 March-2 April, the American Society of International Law Annual Meeting will focus on ‘Charting New Frontiers in International Law’, evaluating the shifts that are creating new frontiers in the physical and conceptual structure of our international order.

In preparation for this meeting, we asked some of our authors to share their ideas on how to address these new frontiers in international law, what challenges they create, and how the field of international law is adapting. A carefully-curated collection of free journal articles also concentrates on the conference theme.

This year’s ASIL meeting will bring over 175 speakers and panelists, and attendees from more than 75 countries. Here are our top picks from the conference program.

Thursday, 31 March 2016

The Iran Nuclear Deal as a New Model of International Lawmaking?, 9:00-10:30 a.m.: One of the most important recent developments in international relations, David Koplow (Georgetown University Law Center) moderates a roundtable on the Plan’s principal legal and policy innovations, its historical and political background, and its potential to shape the future of international agreements.

Achieving Consensus in Climate Change, 9:00-10:30 a.m.: The Paris Agreement was the first climate change agreement to commit all parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in the establishment of a common system of reporting and review — and lessons for future negotiations.

Do We Need a Treaty on Business and Human Rights?, 11:00-12:30 p.m.: Surya Deva (City University of Hong Kong School of Law; co-author of Confronting Capital Punishment in Asia) and other panelists will highlight key areas of dispute about the substance and process of negotiating a treaty.

Protecting Endangered Cultural Heritage in Syria and Iraq: The Role of International Organizations and Governments, 11:00-12:30 p.m.: Moderator Roger O’Keefe (University College London Faculty of Laws; author of International Criminal Law) leads a panel discussion analyzing the ongoing protection challenges, the linkages between attacks on cultural heritage and broader conflict dynamics, and the adequacy of tools currently available in the international regime.

The Role of International Law Societies in Charting New Frontiers in International Law, 11:00-12:30 p.m.: Join Marko Milanovic (University of Nottingham School of Law; author of The Law and Politics of the Kosovo Advisory Opinion) and Simon Chesterman (National University of Singapore; author of Law and Practice of the United Nations) in a discussion about the work of itnernational law societies.

Energy on the Move: Treaties on Transit of Energy via Pipelines, 1:00-2:30 p.m.: Join moderator Danae Azaria (University College London Faculty of Laws; author of Treaties on Transit of Energy via Pipelines and Countermeasures) alongside Matthew Weiniger (Linklaters LLP; author of International Investment Arbitration) and others as they discuss the emerging treaty practice governing the transit of energy via pipelines.

One View of the Arena: The Agent’s Perspective in International Dispute Settlement, 1:00-2:30 p.m.: This panel, including Lucy Reed (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; co-author of A Guide to the SIAC Arbitration Rules), will discuss the multiplicity of roles Agents take, including as representatives of their governments, coordinators of legal teams and strategy, and as clients of international court and tribunals.

Fourth Annual Charles N. Brower Lecture on International Dispute Resolution: Accountability in International Investment Arbitration, 3:00-4:30 p.m.: Join Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler (author of International Arbitration) as she offers her insight on international investment arbitration.

Assembly & Keynote Address, 4:45-6:30 p.m.: Don’t miss this year’s keynote by Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court. Plus, the passing of the gavel from outgoing ASIL president, Lori Damrosch, to incoming president Lucinda Low.

Gala Reception 6:30-8:30 p.m. (ticketed event): The Gala will be held at the magnificent National Building Museum, with its soaring Great Hall, colossal 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns, and a 1,200-foot terra cotta frieze. Not to be missed!

Friday, 1 April 2016

Mock Debate: Is the Primacy of the ICJ in International Dispute Settlement under Threat?, 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Chester Brown (University of Sydney Law School; author of Commentaries on Selected Model Investment Treaties), Jan Paulsson (Three Crowns LLP; author of The Idea of Arbitration), and others will discuss the apparent structural shifts in international dispute settlement and the ICJ’s current place within the system.

Re-examining International Law at the International, Regional, and State Levels (New Voices), 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Join Vincent-Joel Proulx (National University of Singapore Faculty of Law; author of Institutionalizing State Responsibility) and other speakers, as they examine international law at the international, regional, and state levels.

Shifting Rules for Intelligence in International Law 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Can international law play a strategic role in regulating intelligence? What does international law have to say about the Snowden disclosures? This rapid-response panel will explore the substantive areas in which international law is being “repurposed” to regulate intelligence.

Comparative Perspectives on the Judicialization of Foreign Affairs: Adjudication of Military Deployment in National Crisis, 1:00-2:30 p.m.: Eyal Benvenisti (Tel Aviv University; University of Cambridge; author of The International Law of Occupation) joins a group of panelists to discuss  the issues of the judicialization of foreign affairs in a comparative context.

Great Expectations? The Rise of the Regional Development Banks in a DC-Centered World, 1:00-2:30 p.m.: Moderator Diane Desierto (University of Hawaii School of Law; author of Public Policy in International Economic Law) joins a panel of experts to analyze and discuss the rise of regional development banks.

Saturday, 2 April 2016

Emerging Frontiers in the South China Sea, 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Sienho Yee (Editor-In-Chief of the Chinese Journal of International Law) and a group of speakers will analyze the creation or expansion of artificial islands in the South China Sea. In advance of this panel, get up-to-date on the latest scholarly debate with our Debate Map.

And if you have any extra time outside the conference, be sure to visit the Tidal Basin for the blooming cherry blossoms. (Peak bloom was just a few days ago.)

If you are attending this year’s ASIL meeting, don’t forget to visit the Oxford University Press booth #9-11, where you can browse our array of books, and take advantage of the 25% conference discount. Stop by to enter our prize draw for a chance to win $250 worth of OUP books, pick up a free access password to our collection of online law resources, and browse our international law journals.

To follow the latest updates about the 110th ASIL Annual Meeting as it happens, follow us on Twitter @OUPIntLaw, and on Facebook, using the hashtag #ASILAnnual.

See you in DC!

Image credit: Washington, DC Cherry Blossoms. CC0 via Pixabay.

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