2017 Symposia:
International Justice in the US Context: Where We Stand, Where We Fall, and Where We Need To Be
February 27-28, 2017
Georgetown University Law Center, Hart Auditorium
The Symposium provided a forum in which practitioners, academics, and others involved in the field of international justice critically analyzed, discussed, and advocated for changes to the framework, both institutional and conceptual, by which the international community aspires to effectuate international legal justice.
For the first time in GJIL's history, nearly the entire Symposium was both live-streamed and recorded, and was watched by people across the world-- from Amsterdam, to Kyrgyzstan, to Egypt, to New York, to name a few. Over the course of the two-day event, student authors, notable Georgetown professors, and top international academics and practitioners shared their insights and thoughts on a variety of international justice issues-- from torture, to cybersecurity, to human rights, to environmental policy.
The Symposium culminated in the electronic compilation of these speeches, which will be published online and made available in an effort to increase awareness, knowledge, and involvement in these burgeoning areas of international law.
2014 Symposia:
International Financial Regulation in the Post-Crisis Era
Tuesday, April 8, 2014, 8:30A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
International Financial Regulation (IFR) is concerned with the oversight and supervision of participants in financial markets around the world. To date, IFR has been primarily governed by informal, non-binding agreements, or “soft law,” implemented voluntarily by States at the domestic level. However, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the increasingly interconnected nature of financial markets has become a paramount concern for the international community, raising questions of whether and what reforms are needed to prevent future crises.
To explore these issues, the Georgetown Journal of International Law (GJIL) and the Atlantic Council will present the 2014 GJIL Symposium, entitled “International Financial Regulation in the Post-Crisis Era.” This day-long event will take place on April 8, 2014, at the Georgetown University Law Center. The Symposium will feature panels on the prospects for regional and international financial regulation; international financial regulation and the global economy; the intersections of trade and finance; and the topic of economic diplomacy as discussed in the newly released book Minilateralism, by Georgetown Law Professor and Atlantic Council Fellow, Chris Brummer.
2013 Symposia:
The Evolution of Economic Sanctions: Increasingly Financial, Multilateral, and Robust
Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 8:30A.M. to 5:30P.M.
Georgetown University Law Center, Gewirz Student Center
In recent years, economic sanctions have evolved significantly to keep pace with new technologies and strengthened global economic links. Formerly, the use of sanctions was often focused on trade in goods; however, as new methods of evading trade sanctions have developed and as capital has become more mobile, governments have increasingly targeted international financial transactions and flows, perhaps best exemplified by recent U.S. sanctions against Iran. In addition, enhanced coordination among the United States, European Union, and United Nations has produced a thorough multilateral network of sanctions, notwithstanding occasional blind spots. Partially as a result of these developments, economic sanctions are a more robust tool for policymakers today than in the past.
To explore these issues, the Georgetown Journal of International Law (GJIL), Center for Transnational Business and the Law, and Center for National Security and the Law proudly presented the 2013 GJIL Symposium, entitled “The Evolution of Economic Sanctions: Increasingly Financial, Multilateral, and Robust.” This day-long event took place on February 13, 2013, at the Georgetown University Law Center. The Symposium featured a keynote speech by Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. There were also four panels on: the legal basis and technical operation of financial sanctions; the significant legal and economic impacts of these sanctions on targeted activities; coordination as well as incongruity among U.S., EU, and UN sanctions programs; and a survey of other legal, political, and humanitarian issues raised by sanctions, especially in light of recent programs targeting Iran, Syria, North Korea, and other countries.
2012 Symposia:
Corporate Responsibility and the Alien Tort Statute
Alien Tort Statute (ATS) litigation has emerged as a focal point in the field of corporate responsibility over the past decade, as foreign plaintiffs alleging violations of international law argue their cases in federal court. For corporations doing business abroad, liability under this statute is controversial and has the potential for substantial effects on human rights outcomes, environmental effects, foreign investment and human development, and business practices in general. The Supreme Court has heard and will hear for a second time an Alien Tort Statute, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, to consider the question of corporate liability under the statute.
This symposium - sponsored by the Georgetown Journal of International Law, the Center on Transnational Business and the Law, and the American Society of International Law - critically examined the role of the Alien Tort Statute as it relates to corporate responsibility. Held on March 27, 2012, you can see the agenda of the symposium here. You can listen to an audio recording of the panel on the background and purpose of the Alien Tort Statute here; the panel on corporate liability here; the panel on investment, trade, and other implications here; and the panel on perspectives and alternatives here. Please download the files to your computer for the audio to play correctly.
