This book explores the changing nature of international law and its ability to respond to the contemporary issues related to international environment, trade and information technology. The evolution of international law has reached a stage where we are witnessing diminishing power of the state and its capacity to deal with the economic matters challenging the existing notions of territory and sovereignty. Recent trends in international law and international relations show that states no longer have exclusive control over the decision-making process at the global level. Keeping this in mind, the book brings together the perspectives of various international and national scholars. The book considers diverse issues such as, sustainable development, climate change, global warming, Rio+20, technology transfer, agro-biodiversity and genetic resource, authority for protection of environment, human right to water, globalization, human rights, sui generis options in IP laws, impact of liberalization on higher education, regulation of international trade, intellectual property rights, collective administration of copyright, broadcast reproduction rights, implementation of copyright law, communication rights under copyright law, arbitration for IP disputes, doctrine of exhaustion of rights, trans-border reputation of trademark, information as an asset, cyber obscenity and pornography, e-governance, taxation of e-commerce, computer crime, information technology, domain names, research excellence in legal education, ideological perspective on legal education, challenges for law teachers, and clinical legal education. The topics, though diverse, are closely interrelated, with the common concern throughout being that the global environment, international trade, information technology and legal education need appropriate national normative and institutional responses as well as the global cooperation of members of the international community. Presenting reflections of a number of Asian, African and European scholars on these varied facets, the book is of great value to scholars, practitioners, teachers and students associated with contemporary international law.

This book offers diverse, multinational perspectives on traditional and emergent issues in the practice and study of international law. It deals with the evolving foundations of international law and covers a wide range of issues that link international politics to international law.

This book simultaneously sheds light on the most pressing global challenges facing humanity in the 21st century and pays tribute to President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic, who had a great impact on the transformation of world politics in the 20th century. It examines in detail contemporary international issues such as climate change, mass migration, refugees, internal armed conflicts, great power rivalry, and regional political instability. It also underscores the increasing inability of the Westphalian model to solve complex transnational problems and calls for a new approach. Included as a postscript is an extensive analysis of the resurgence of dictatorial regimes in many regions of the world and their attempt to undo the rules-based international order established after World War II. This trend is a setback for those who fought tirelessly to end the Cold War and to spread freedom and democracy to millions of people across the globe. Today that legacy is being challenged by autocratic regimes that see respect for human rights as a threat to their political survival. International law is what unites us as citizens of the world; and only through international law and multilateral cooperation, can we address the global challenges examined in this book.

"Whether International Law is really law is one of those vexed questions that still linger. Prof. Mwenda's three-pillar approach to looking at International Law is an exceedingly useful conceptual framework which is, at the same time, emblematic of the malleable nature of the discipline. The analysis demonstrates when States pay attention to international law, why they feel compelled to do so, when they choose not to, and why all that matters. This is an extremely timely and accessible book which should be useful to the legal academy and to practitioners."-DR VICTOR B. MOSOTIChief Counsel for Environmental and International Law, Legal Vice-Presidency, The World Bank"Prof. Mwenda's book, 'Contemporary Issues in International Law', is a must-read masterpiece on international law for practitioners, academics and students of public international law. It is a thought-provoking book that touches on contemporary issues confronting international law at a time when multilateralism...is under serious threat. It touches on issues that need to be discussed and addressed in order to be able to deal with the emerging challenges of rising nationalism among leading nations of the world."-BRIAN CHIGAWA, ESQDirector of Legal and Corporate Affairs, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

This book explores the changing nature of international law and its ability to respond to the contemporary issues related to international environment, trade and information technology. The evolution of international law has reached a stage where we are witnessing diminishing power of the state and its capacity to deal with the economic matters challenging the existing notions of territory and sovereignty. Recent trends in international law and international relations show that states no longer have exclusive control over the decision-making process at the global level. Keeping this in mind, the book brings together the perspectives of various international and national scholars. The book considers diverse issues such as, sustainable development, climate change, global warming, Rio+20, technology transfer, agro-biodiversity and genetic resource, authority for protection of environment, human right to water, globalization, human rights, sui generis options in IP laws, impact of liberalization on higher education, regulation of international trade, intellectual property rights, collective administration of copyright, broadcast reproduction rights, implementation of copyright law, communication rights under copyright law, arbitration for IP disputes, doctrine of exhaustion of rights, trans-border reputation of trademark, information as an asset, cyber obscenity and pornography, e-governance, taxation of e-commerce, computer crime, information technology, domain names, research excellence in legal education, ideological perspective on legal education, challenges for law teachers, and clinical legal education. The topics, though diverse, are closely interrelated, with the common concern throughout being that the global environment, international trade, information technology and legal education need appropriate national normative and institutional responses as well as the global cooperation of members of the international community. Presenting reflections of a number of Asian, African and European scholars on these varied facets, the book is of great value to scholars, practitioners, teachers and students associated with contemporary international law.--

Since the end of the Cold War, Northeast Asia has been one of the most dynamic and dangerous parts of the world. Encompassing Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and North and South Korea, the region has undoubtedly acquired a greater global geopolitical and economic significance in recent years. Now home to two of the three largest economies in the world, with the exception of North Korea, all of the countries in the region experienced rapid economic development which has resulted in Northeast Asia accounting for one-fifth of world production, one-sixth of world trade, and one-half of the world’s foreign currency reserves. This great economic dynamism is complemented by the tremendous political forces that animate the region, such as China’s ascendency to a global power challenging the United States and the European Union, tensions over nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, and Japan’s desire to validate itself as a legitimate international force with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. All of these modern issues faced by the region are matters of international law. Northeast Asian Perspectives on International Law: Contemporary Issues and Challenges contends that international law is not only poised to take a bigger role in bringing about a resolution to these questions, but international lawyers of the region are working to bring about greater regional cooperation and integration as seen in other regions in the world. This edited volume was inspired by the first joint international academic conference of international lawyers from the Chinese Society of International Law, Japanese Society of International Law, and Korean Society of International Law which took place in Seoul, Korea on July 3, 2010. With a range of timely topics including, but not limited to, North Korean human rights, the South China Sea, and Japan’s efforts in UN peacekeeping operations, the esteemed contributors to Northeast Asian Perspectives on International Law: Contemporary Issues and Challenges examine how international law can promote peace and justice in Northeast Asia. Legal scholars, students of international law and international relations, policymakers and historians will find Northeast Asian Perspectives on International Law: Contemporary Issues and Challenges to be an invaluable resource.

Why U.S. support for international law is so inconsistent

Recent years have seen a remarkable expansion in the scale and importance of economic, social, and cultural rights (ESC rights), culminating in the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in December 2008. The Protocol gives individuals and groups the ability to bring complaints about rights violations before the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Against this background, this book focuses on the question of how fundamental socio-economic human rights enshrined in international law are defined, interpreted, understood, and implemented. It assesses how effective efforts to realize ESC rights have been and investigates the contemporary challenges obstructing their protection. It sets out the impact of the global financial crisis and austerity measures, the human rights responsibilities of corporations, and trends in the justiciability of those rights at the national and international level. The interrelationship between ESC rights and other legal regimes such as trade and investment law, environmental law, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law is also thoroughly examined. After an introduction by the editors the book contains seventeen chapters looking at the main questions which shape the progressive realization of ESC rights and their monitoring mechanisms. The authors of the chapters, both scholars and practitioners, adopt interdisciplinary approaches that move beyond traditional analyses of ESC rights. In doing so, they clarify and illuminate multiple aspects of the law by bringing together the different aspects of ESC rights, restating the challenges they face, and assessing the progress that has been made in expanding their adoption.

This book once again shows the results of the ongoing collaboration between UniZSA, Malaysia and UNAIR, Indonesia, especially those involving Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of UNAIR and Faculty of Law and International Relations of UniZSA, each of which is led by the Department of International Relations. Furthermore, this book is also a reminder that scientific work can be disseminated in various forms other than on the mainstream platform. In addition, this book is an alternative source of learning for lecturers, students, and the public. For the higher education, this book can be a medium to strengthen academic networks and a means of communication for its authors.