(My thanks to IntLawGrrls for the opportunity to contribute this Go On! guest post)As President of the American Branch of the International Law Association, it's my pleasure to call for panel proposals for International Law Weekend, the annual New York-based meeting that we cohost with the International Law Students Association. This year's meeting will be held October 20-22, 2011, in conjunction with the 90th annual meeting of the American Branch. ILW 2011 will bring together hundreds of legal practitioners, professors, U.N. diplomats, experts from government, NGOs and private industry, and students. It will feature lively and contentious panels, distinguished speakers, and delicious receptions.
The overall theme of ILW 2011 is “International Law and National Politics.”
This year’s three-day conference will focus on issues arising from the interplay and intersection of international rules and norms and domestic politics and policymaking. For example:
To what extent do international standards influence the application and interpretation of national law including complimentary or contrary policies sought by domestic policymakers, non-governmental actors and/or civil society?
Expert panels and discussion sessions will examine these and other issues with regard to such diverse areas as human rights and humanitarian intervention, national security, immigration, trade, labor, health care, and the environment.
Though this is the primary focus of the conference, other inventive ideas and proposals, especially arising from current events, are always welcome for consideration as well.
The Co-Chairs of ILW 2011 are Martin S. Flaherty, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School, mflaherty17@yahoo.com, Sahra Diament of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, diament@un.org, and Jill Schmieder Hereau, Program Coordinator at the International Law Students Association, jshereau@ilsa.org.The Co-Chairs invite proposals for panels for ILW 2011. Please submit proposals by email to each of the Co-Chairs no later than Wednesday, May 4, 2011. Please also submit a copy of your proposal to me, Ruth Wedgwood, at rwedgwood@jhu.edu and to Executive Committee Chairman John E. Noyes at jen@cwsl.edu.
The proposals should be structured for 90-minute panels, and should:
►Include a formal title, a brief description of the subjects to be covered (no more than 75 words), and the names, titles, and affiliations of the panel chair and three or four likely speakers, with their contact information.
► Describe the format envisaged (point-counterpoint, roundtable, or other). One of the objectives of ILW 2011 is to promote a dialogue among scholars and practitioners from across the legal spectrum, so whenever possible, panels should include presentations of divergent views. In addition, interactive discussions and moderated roundtables are welcome, rather than the traditional format of reading papers.
The inclusion of a broad range of speakers, including lawyers from the United Nations, diplomats from U.N. missions, private practitioners, government regulatory experts and experts from industry are welcome, quite apart from the usual broad range of academic writers and speakers. We seek, above all else, informative and interesting debate.
