Suchergebnisse

Amici curiae are persons interested in a trial but not party to it that submit an unsolicited written brief or make an oral statement before the bench. The widespread possibility to submit amicus curiae briefs in international courts and tribunals is a recent phenomenon. Traditionally international procedures did not allow this kind of intervention. The purpose of this paper is to take stock of this evolution and assess the functioning of the new procedures. It does this by looking comparatively at several courts and tribunals, in order to get a picture of the commonalities and common problems surrounding this general development. Two sets of questions are considered, the first centered on issues of transparency and public participation, the second on the rights of the parties. Among the elements that deal with public participation, the paper examines the clarity of the procedures, the equality of the treatment of all the interested entities, the conditions and reasons for accepting or refusing the proposed amici, and the inclusion of the amici submissions in the text of the final decision. The other set of questions, concerning the rights and interests of the parties to the dispute, includes their role in the submission phase and their interest in efficient proceedings. In answering these questions, serious issues of transparency, publicity, and the political role of states acting as amici emerge. The paper concludes that further reflection is necessary on the origins of these problems, but that a first, important step can be achieved by addressing these procedural issues.

Réflexions sur la nature de la crise internationale, par Maurice Couve de Murville
La crise internationale actuelle est, après le blocus de Berlin en 1948, et la crise de Berlin-Cuba en 1958-1962, la crise la plus profonde de l'après-guerre. L'invasion de l'Afghanistan par les Soviétiques a été le révélateur d'une crise qui existait en filigrane depuis 1979. L'affaire des SS 20 traduit la conviction occidentale que l'équilibre des forces est rompu au bénéfice de l'Union soviétique, qui combine armement à outrance et activisme interventionniste, un peu partout dans le monde. Deux issues à la crise paraissent invraisemblables : un conflit nucléaire direct entre Russes et Américains, un retour pur et simple au passé lointain de la guerre froide. La situation n'en est pas moins bloquée du fait de la campagne présidentielle américaine et du risque d'enlisement soviétique en Afghanistan. Il appartient désormais à Moscou de rendre possible la réouverture effective du dialogue. On parlera alors plus des engins nucléaires et moins de l'Afghanistan.

The impact of economic factors on colonial imperialism in the late nineteenth century has long been a topic of debate. This article examines the expected relationship between different forms of international investment and different patterns of political ties between developed and developing countries. Drawing on the literature on relational contracts and collective action, it argues that direct colonial control was likely to be associated with cross-border investments whose rents were particularly easy to seize or protect, and whose protection did not require multilateral action. Where such rents were difficult to seize or protect unilaterally, colonialism is expected to be less likely. The most common example of the former sort of investment is primary (raw-materials or agricultural) investment; of the latter, multinational manufacturing affiliates. The argument is weighed against both a survey of the qualitative evidence and some simple quantitative evaluations. The approach also has potential applications to more general problems of international conflict and cooperation.

"This book explores the duty to investigate potential violations of the law during armed conflict, and does so under international humanitarian law (ihl), international human rights law (ihrl), and their interplay. Through a meticulous comparative legal analysis, it maps out the scope and contents of investigative obligations"--

"This book explores the duty to investigate potential violations of the law during armed conflict, and does so under international humanitarian law (ihl), international human rights law (ihrl), and their interplay. Through a meticulous comparative legal analysis, it maps out the scope and contents of investigative obligations"--