The fourth volume of this Yearbook provides essays, articles, comments and analyses of developments throughout the previous year. The new essay section of this volume is contributed by Shangquan Gao, Senior Professor in the State Council of PRC who examines the negative influence of the Asian financial crisis on China. Professor Eva Holz, Deputy Governor at Uruguayan Central Bank, Dr Michael Gruson, Senior Banking Partner at Shearman & Sterling, and Professor Geoffrey Wood of City University are some of the contributors of major articles in the edition. One of the salient features of the volume is that it focuses on new developments in post-financial crisis restructuring measures taken by various countries, such as PRC, Brazil and Japan. Complementary to this issue, globalization, international financial stability, and international capital flows are also discussed comprehensively. The period covered by the volume has witnessed major financial and economic law reform projects in various areas of the world. The volume offers comprehensive analysis of these reforms including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 in the US and its influence on the global financial sector, progress in collateral law reform in Central and Eastern Europe, the development of securities law and the Internet in the UK, commercialization of China's land use right, reform of Hong Kong property tax system, and legal changes in Japanese asset securitisation and investment. Some issues are re-explored in this volume from new and different perspectives. The discussion of the integration of insurance and other financial services in Taiwan, of the Lender of Last Resort, of the solutions to the non-performing loan problems in China, of capital adequacy under the Basle new capital adequacy framework, and sovereign debt restructuring in Latin America will offer the readers new insights into these issues. This volume should appeal to anyone with an interest in international financial and economic law throughout the world. Its broad geographic scope and the expertise of the contributors offer an indispensable chance for the readers to keep abreast with developments in a rapidly changing area of the law.

The great seas contain immense resources and provide invaluable services to humankind, yet their environmental conditions are threatened worldwide. The authors of this comprehensive study provide a rich assessment of the seas and the efficacy of the initiatives governing them, as well as suggestions for improving governance and protection. Case studies of the Baltic, Mediterranean, Black, Caribbean and East Asian seas illustrate the varying degrees of policy success, failure and promise. The authors address the specific roles of the Law of the Sea and the United Nations Regional Seas Programme and discuss the importance of better information exchange between scientists and policymakers, increased funding, greater participation, and new and more effective laws. National, regional and international initiatives are conceptualized as clusters, and their success evaluated using data on the physical conditions of the seas, the law and policy adopted, and international cooperation. The interdisciplinary, insightful treatment of this complex issue will be of great interest to policymakers, students and scholars in the fields of law and policy as well as marine and environmental sciences.

'In the galaxy of issues that developing countries are faced with in their international economic relations, this publication manages to focus on some critical areas of particular concern to developing countries. Moreover, the issues focussed on have a contemporary relevance touching as they do on financial reform, aid and IMF conditionality, international trade and investment, multinational corporations, competition, corruption, the environment and intellectual property issues. This is a comprehensive appraisal of development related problems in international economic relations written by practitioners and academics in the field.' - Asif Qureshi, University of Manchester, UK International Economic Law, Globalization and Developing Countries explores the impact of globalization on the international legal system, with a special focus on the implications for developing countries. The onset of the current process of globalization has brought about momentous changes to the rules and processes of international law. This comprehensive book examines a number of these changes, including the radical expansion of international economic law, the increase in the power of international economic organizations, and the new informal approaches to law-making. The greater reliance on judicial and arbitral mechanisms, and the proliferation of international human rights instruments, many of which have a direct bearing on international economic relations, are also discussed. The contributors to this book are all prominent experts in the fields of international law and international political economy, drawn from both developing and developed countries. This insightful book will appeal to scholars and advanced students with an interest in international law, development studies, international political economy and international governance. It will also be an indispensable tool for practitioners - including members of leading international NGOs, international lawyers, political scientists and international development specialists. Contributors: Y. Akyuz, D. Bradlow, E.R. Carrasco, P. Cullet, K.E. Davis, J. Faundez, M.E. Footer, J. Harrison, F. Macmillan, K. McMahon, P. Muchlinski, T. Novitz, P. Roffe, D. Salter, C. Tan, V.P.B. Yu III

This book examines the responsibility of judges of domestic courts following unconstitutional usurpation of power of government (coups d'etat). It explores judges' liability for failing to discharge their judicial duty independently and impartially, and the criminality of usurpers and their accomplices and collaborators for their violation of fundamental rights and freedoms or commission of crimes of international concern. Written by a highly regarded non-Western author, the book is coherent and meticulously researched, covering an approach to coups in an insightful and fascinating fashion. It includes a sophisticated and thorough analysis of the relevant comparative jurisprudence of domestic and international courts, with concrete examples of the best practices among decisions of domestic courts in countries that have experienced coups d'etat. With an increasing global interest in the phenomenon of coups, democratic backsliding and the place and role of the judiciary as the only hope to rein in acts of unconstitutional usurpation of power, the book will be essential reading for members of the legal profession, those cherishing democracy as well as students and researchers in constitutional law, law and political science, public international law, international human rights law, international criminal law, regime changes, transitional justice and international organizations.

New directives in the European Union forced the national governments to release new laws on the collection and recycling of electronic waste. Producers of electrical/electronic equipment are now required to fulfill several tasks on an administrational level, such as registration and regular declarations, as well as ensure take back and recycling operationally. The national laws and requirements strongly differ from country to country and created a lot of confusion in the past. In this book, consultants from 26 EU member states give a clear and structured recipe how this complicated procedure can be done in the corresponding country. This makes the book being an essential tool for the electrics industry, in particular for international companies.

This book addresses questions in connection with the international legal regime on demands for secession, which have arisen in various States. More specifically, it examines the unilateral declarations of independence by Kosovo in 2008, and by Crimea and its subsequent annexation by the Russian Federation in 2014. The work investigates the two cases so as to shed light on the international legal regime affecting entities that are smaller than a sovereign State. It analyzes the relevant principles of international law, the intention being to determine their scope and review them in light of the most recent practice and developments in international law. In turn, the book examines and explains the events of relevance for international law that occurred in the changing situations in Kosovo and Crimea. On the basis of these legal considerations, it explores how the international community can respond when faced with situations that may violate international law, together with the effectiveness of various measures. It also discusses whether certain situations might be legitimate as a concept could now be emerging that secession may be justified in specific circumstances, such as serious and widespread violations of basic human rights.

Many years after the United States initiated a military response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the nation continues to prosecute what it considers an armed conflict against transnational terrorist groups. Understanding how the law of armed conflict applies to and regulates military operations executed within the scope of this armed conflict against transnational non-state terrorist groups is as important today as it was in September 2001. In The War on Terror and the Laws of War seven legal scholars, each with experience as military officers, focus on how to strike an effective balance between the necessity of using armed violence to subdue a threat to the nation with the humanitarian interest of mitigating the suffering inevitably associated with that use. Each chapter addresses a specific operational issue, including the national right of self-defense, military targeting and the use of drones, detention, interrogation, trial by military commission of captured terrorist operatives, and the impact of battlefield perspectives on counter-terror military operations, while illustrating how the law of armed conflict influences resolution of that issue. This Second Edition carries on the critical mission of continuing the ongoing dialogue about the law from an unabashedly military perspective, bringing practical wisdom to the contentious topic of applying international law to the battlefield.

International human rights law is undoubtedly intertwined with politics. This Research Handbook explores and provokes reflection on how politics impacts human rights legislation and, conversely, how human rights law shapes politics and the functioning of the state. Bringing together leading international scholars in human rights law and politics, the Research Handbook provides theoretical reflections and empirical analyses across the areas of governance and policies and examines the implementation mechanisms of human rights law in national and international jurisdictions. Chapters discuss issues such as the mobilization of human rights in developing countries, the politics of torture and resource allocation, and the influence of politics on international institutions. It also presents a critical analysis of the human rights regimes in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and how the state works in ways which respect the ethics and values of human rights law. Providing a comprehensive overview of the reciprocal relationship between politics and human rights legislation, this Research Handbook will be essential reading for students and academics in human rights, international politics, law and politics, and public policy.

Launch activities performed by private entities deal with a complex legal environment. The Space Treaties provide a general liability framework. Launch participants are subject to regulatory or institutional control, and to domestic liability laws. Specific contractual practice has developed due to insurance limitations, the inter-participants' waivers of liability and claims. This book synthesizes information on the norms of play, to allow the grasp of their relative weight and interactions in the assessment of liability risk for launch activities. It reveals a legal framework presently lacking sufficient predictability for an efficient liability risk management: the waivers of liability suffer weaknesses as do all such clauses, and lack uniformity and reliability; and the Space Treaties contain ambiguous terms preventing predictable determination of the States responsible for authorizing and supervising launch activities and for damage compensation, and do not reflect the liability of launch operators. This book offers suggestions of new approaches for: harmonizing waivers of liability to improve their consistency, validity and flow-down; and improving the Space Treaties for their implementation to non-governmental launch activities. In the launch community, the need for lawmaking is less compelling than in fields such as aviation. Nevertheless, adjustments to the present framework are proposed through model clauses and an international instrument, for further thinking and contribution by those sharing the opinion that creative lawmaking is needed now to prepare for tomorrow's endeavors.

This collection of essays by Professor Michael N. Schmitt of Durham University draws together those of his articles published over the past two decades that have explored particular fault lines in the law of armed conflict. As such, they examine the complex interplay between warfare and law, seeking to identify where the law and warfare appear to diverge, and where such apparent divergence can be accommodated through contextual interpretation of the law. Each essay examines a particular issue in either the jus ad bellum (the law governing resort to force) or jus in bello (international humanitarian law) that has proven contentious in terms of applying extant norms to the evolving face of armed conflict. Among the topics addressed are counter-terrorism, cyber operations, asymmetrical warfare, assassination, environmental warfare and the participation of civilians in hostilities.

The 2005 Special Issue of the "Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business" addresses issues relating to security in immovables. Each Chapter contains an overview of the security in immovables laws of a particular country. The laws vary widely among the countries; the word immovable (or real property in Common Law jurisdictions) even has different definitions in different countries. Crossborder transactions involving immovables are integral to international business dealings. This publication provides a general overview of the methods by which immovables are secured in various countries, and each chapter contains details such as the priority granted creditors and openness of the land registers. Each chapter contains a country-specific explanation of the method by which one obtains a mortgage, lien, or similar security, and an exploration of the possible problems that might arise during Such a process. In addition, special attention is given to the obstacles facing non-nationals interested in buying immovables. The book evidences the varied attitudes at governments towards the purchase of immovables by non-nationals. In some countries, such as The Philippines, non-nationals are prohibited from buying land. Other countries, such as the Slovak Republic, allow foreign acquisition of nearly any immovable, only forbidding purchase of items that no private citizen can own, such as the country's rivers. This publication reflects recent developments in security in immovables, especially in Eastern Europe. The chapter on immovables in Ukraine is based on the country's new property laws, passed in 2004. The chapters on the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Hungary all reflect the changes brought by accession to the European Union. The acquisition of property in a foreign country is an integral facet of international business and practitioners will find this publication's in-depth instructions for the purchase of security in immovables useful as it pertains to individual countries. In addition to showing practitioners how transactions work for individual countries, readers will be able to compare diverse legal regimes to find the one most favorable for their particular business transactions.

There is little doubt that robotic and automated systems in space will contribute considerably to the future commercialisation of the space environment. This text provides a systems eye view of robotic spacecraft design with an emphasis on control systems.The first half of the book introduces the techniques of robotics and robotic control, and is the most mathematical part of the book. The second half of the book deals with spacecraft systems themselves, and how a robotic-type payload influences them, including consideration of financial and legal issues which are often left out of technical texts.Running through the book is the implementation of a freeflying robotic spacecraft called ATLAS (Advanced TeLerobotic Actuation System). However, the techniques presented in the book are completely general and the ATLAS spacecraft just serves as an example, albeit a very useful and economically viable space system.

The Elgar Companion to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is a one-stop reference resource on this complex tribunal, established in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which closed its doors on 31 December 2015. This Companion provides an insightful account of the workings and legacy of the ICTR in the field of international criminal justice. Surveying and analyzing the contributions from different disciplinary angles, the Companion is comprised of four comprehensive parts. It begins with a detailed account of the establishment of the ICTR, covering the setting up of the tribunal, its mandate, structure and personnel. The second part explores substantive law and examines issues such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, sexual violence and modes of liability. The third part discusses procedural law and explores investigation, arrest, trial/appeal, evidence, rights of the accused, rights of victims and sentencing. It concludes with the fourth part, which considers the contribution of the ICTR to international criminal justice, as well as to the lives of Rwandans. An important contribution to the jurisprudence of international criminal courts, the Companion will appeal to academics, students and legal practitioners alike. It will be fascinating reading for anyone interested in international criminal law or the recent history of Rwanda. Contributors include: P. Akhavan, K. Ambos, S. Bock, C. Buisman, N.A. Combs, A.-M. de Brouwer, M.A. Drumbl, H. Hintjens, B. Hola, H.B. Jallow, U. Kaitesi, G.W. Mugwanya, R. Muzigo-Morrison, F.M. Ndahinda, F.-X. Nsanzuwera, A. Odora-Obote, V. Oosterveld, C. Paulussen, N Pillay, A. Smeulers

This book examines the relationship between flexible regional economic integration in the East African Community (EAC), through its application of variable geometry, and the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a continent-wide form of integration. It uses a historical, political, legal and economic analysis of the processes that led to the adoption of flexible regional integration in Africa, with particular regard to the EAC. This takes place in the inescapable context of pan-Africanism, showing how regional integration efforts in Africa are based on pan-Africanist ideals, and how an evolution of these ideals has led to an evolution in the goals of integration. With growing awareness of the weaknesses and impracticality of consensus-based decision-making on a global level, it makes the case for the pursuit of flexibility in multilateral trade, drawing lessons from the experience of the AfCFTA and blocs in other regions. This book is a historical evaluation of regional economic integration efforts in Africa and it follows the path of attempts to integrate the economies on the continent from colonial times to the birth of the AfCFTA. While it is a study in law, it relies heavily on politics, economics and history to weave together a more complete theory of economic integration based on the African experience. Flexible Regional Economic Integration in Africa was awarded the 2020 SIEL-Hart Prize in International Economic Law.

In its ten years of existence, the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system has continued to differentiate itself in many ways from more conventional international judicial proceedings such as those before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or regional integration courts. The regular participation of third parties, the emphasis at all levels of the ordinary meaning of the text of WTO rules, and the raft of proposed amendments to the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) all characterize WTO jurisprudence. In twenty-six incisive contributions, this book covers both the legislative and (quasi) judicial activities encompassed by the WTO dispute settlement system. Essays concerned with rules emphasize proposed improvements and clarifications in such areas as special and differential treatment of less-developed countries, surveillance of implementation, compensation, and suspension of concessions. Other contributions discuss such jurisprudential and practical issues as discrimination, trade-related environmental measures, subsides and countervailing measures, and trade-related intellectual property rights. The authors refer frequently to the panel, Appellate Body and arbitration reports, a chronological list of which appears as an annex. The contributors include WTO arbitrators, members of the WTO Appellate Body, WTO panelists, and academics from a broad spectrum of countries engaged as legal advisers by the WTO, by governments, or by non-governmental organizations. More than a mere snapshot of the current status of the WTO dispute settlement system, this outstanding work represents a comprehensive analysis that brings a fast-moving and crucially significant body ofinternational law into sharp focus.

The present volume focuses on the jurisprudence of national, supranational and international jurisdictions (and quasi-juridictions) as regards the legal "status" of same-sex couples. Its aim is to explore the content, rationale, functioning and potential of the different jurisdictions' reasonings and their contribution to the strengthening of LGBTI rights (and duties). As a consequence, the book tries to convey the complexities and controversies that derive from the judicial recognition of same-sex couples across the world, taking always into account the relationship of the judiciary with the executive and the legislature and the related problems of legitimacy and democracy. The volume deals with this issue and considers it as a crucial test for modern democracies and contemporary societies.

This timely interdisciplinary work on current developments in ICT and privacy/data protection, coincides as it does with the rethinking of the Data Protection Directive, the contentious debates on data sharing with the USA (SWIFT, PNR) and the judicial and political resistance against data retention. The authors of the contributions focus on particular and pertinent issues from the perspective of their different disciplines which range from the legal through sociology, surveillance studies and technology assessment, to computer sciences. Such issues include cutting-edge developments in the field of cloud computing, ambient intelligence and PETs; data retention, PNR-agreements, property in personal data and the right to personal identity; electronic road tolling, HIV-related information, criminal records and teenager's online conduct, to name but a few.

On the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, this book presents the first monographic study of the Hong Kong Basic Law as an economic document. The Basic Law codifies what Gonzalo Villalta Puig and Eric C Ip call free market constitutionalism, the logic of Hong Kong's economic liberty as the freest market economy in the world. This book, which is the outcome of several years of study with the financial support of the General Research Fund of Hong Kong's Research Grants Council, evaluates the public choice rationale of the Basic Law and its projection on the Hong Kong economy, with a focus on the policy development of economic liberty both internally and externally. In the academic tradition of James M Buchanan's constitutional political economy, the book opens with a conceptualisation of free market constitutionalism in Hong Kong. It studies the origins of this concept in the 19th-century classically liberal common law and how it developed into a Hayekian laissez-faire convention under British colonial rule, was codified into the Basic Law and is interpreted and applied by the branches of the Government of the Region. The book closes with remarks on the future of Hong Kong's free market constitutionalism in face of recent challenges as the year 2047 approaches and the 50 years of 'unchanged' capitalist system under the Basic Law come to an end. This book will appeal to students, scholars and practitioners of law, economics, political science and public administration. It will especially appeal to those with an interest in Hong Kong law, international economic law or comparative constitutional law.

This book studies the role of international actors in the areas of transitional justice and justice sector aid with respect to traditional justice and legal pluralism in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a number of case studies, the chapters describe the kinds of policies and interventions that are supported and financed by international actors, with special attention for the kinds of strategies that are deployed in order to address areas of tension with human rights. The volume then explores the relationship between international actors' practices and the body of knowledge that exists in these domains, as well as in general socio legal theory. Thereby, this contribution offers empirical data drawn from examples of who is doing what in a series of case studies, identifies regional trends and links them to the existing literature by examining the extent to which the insights generated so far by scholars and practitioners is reflected in the work of international actors. Based on this, the book formulates a number of hypotheses that may explain current trends and proposes additional issues that need to be considered in future research agendas. Finally, the volume links two fields of intervention that have so far evolved in rather parallel ways and explores the commonalities and differences that can be found in the areas of transitional justice and justice sector aid.

This book discusses megatrends and subsequently applies them to the air transport industry from a legal, ethical and economic perspective. Starting with a detailed discussion on what these megatrends are, the book provides an essential overview of megatrends and air transport, including analytical discussions on how megatrends could affect basic issues such as nationalism and sovereignty, market access in air transport, and commercial space transport. It also delves into the rights of the airline passenger as affected by megatrends. Further, the book analyses a broad range of topics, including: the digital transformation of air transport; technology and air transport; robotic pilots and their legal ramifications; the human-robot interface and the law with focus on the pilot; cognitive computing; and issues of empowerment and connectivity. It discusses in detail United Nations initiatives and initiatives of the International Civil Aviation Organization, considering aspects such as: the new world order; e-trends and air transport; apps that make air travel easier; and apps designed to help the aviation authorities. Further topics include artificial intelligence and air transport and related technical, ethical and economic issues, as well as a legal inquiry into manufacturer's defects; design defects; and liability for failure to warn of defects. Questions are posed and answers provided on the effects of artificial intelligence and legal issues stemming from its use in air transport. Two major discussions follow on millennials and air transport, and on the Internet of everything as related to air transport. The conclusion ties in megatrends with air transport and offers the industry a way forward for adapting to these trends.

If you believe that States have complete discretion in handling migration matters and that migrants are not protected under international law, read this book. You will be amazed by the wealth of international instruments, treaties, standards and principles existing in international law. Rights and obligations of States, as well as rights and duties of migrants, are defined in a great number of legal instruments - some of them hard to find - stemming from various branches of law and constituting what is known as "international migration law". This publication assists readers - be they academics, students, practitioners, experts or migrants themselves - to better orientate themselves in this web of norms and principles existing at the international level. The focus of the Compendium is a comprehensive compilation of universal instruments with varying degrees of legal force - from authoritative international treaties, through customary international law, to the sets of principles and guidelines which, although non-binding, are nonetheless of clear contemporary relevance and can contribute to the progressive development of law in areas not yet covered by "hard" norms. To further this end, this book is being released as a companion to International Migration Law - Developing Paradigms and Key Challenges (edited by R. Cholewinski, R. Perruchoud and E. MacDonald and published by T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague 2007), which shows how these norms have been applied and are developing in various concrete contexts. Richard Perruchoud is Director of the International migration Law and Legal Affairs Department of the International Organization for Migration in Geneva. Katarina Toemoelova is an Associate Legal Officer in the same Department of IOM.

Forum selection is typically the most crucial issue in a transnational case. Nowhere is this truer than in maritime law, where forum selection is the first and sometimes the only point of engagement in international maritime litigation. In this important collection of essays, ten outstanding maritime law scholars from eight countries analyze the complex theoretical and practical issues surrounding forum selection in maritime cases. Among the topics discussed are the following: injunctions; forum shopping for limitation of liability; forum non conveniens; effect of forum selection clauses; loss or damage to goods; the in personam link; and, recognition of foreign liens. The book stems from a symposium held at Tulane University in 2004 to honor the 70th birthday of Robert Force, the influential and respected scholar who founded the renowned Tulane Maritime Law Center. As befits such a festschrift, the book opens with a detailed analysis and overview of forum selection clauses, written by Professor Force and his Tulane colleague Martin Davies. This is followed by thought-provoking essays on comparative issues, procedural theory, competing jurisdictions, jurisdictional clauses, EC law, and other matters, and by insightful and knowledgeable reports on specific issues related to China and South Africa. At a moment in history when geopolitical trends and globalization of trade are rapidly growing and changing, maritime lawyers and the various agencies and commissions that sustain this vitally important branch of international legal practice will greatly appreciate this remarkable book.