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The purpose of this event
was to provide a general understanding of the different areas of
international law, in addition to providing the opportunity for
students to ask some questions. Professor Akhavan discussed public
international law, Professor Mégret discussed international
criminal law, and Professor Saumier discussed private international
law. Below is an executive summary of the event.
Professor Payam Akhavan
spoke of the nature of the international legal system as both different
from, and similar to other areas of law. The main source and subject of
international law is the sovereign state. There is a tension between
power and normativity in the structure of international law. While, in
a practical sense, international law is easily encountered, to pursue a
career in international law requires interest and passion.
Professor
Frédéric Mégret spoke of international
criminal law, a branch of public international law. The history of
international criminal law can be traced to extradition as a rule
mediating the tension of prosecuting an individual, yet bringing them
in your territory in order to do so. International criminal law further
developed with the transnationalization of crimes such as organized
crimes and trafficking. Today, the latest development includes ad hoc
international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court
in The Hague.
La professeure
Geneviève Saumier nous a parlé du droit international
privé. Le droit international privé à McGill
s'occupe des questions de litiges transfrontalier entre parties
privées. Le droit des contrats comportent un aspect
international avec une clause qui insère le droit applicable au
contrat. Il y a aussi une question de la reconnaissance des jugements
étrangers.
Rapporteur Notes [summary + full
text in pdf]
Prof. Nehal Bhuta spoke on
the topic of "The Saddam Trial: Was Justice Served?". Prof. Bhuta
authored the Human Rights Watch Report, Judging
Dujail: The First Trial Before the Iraqi High Tribunal and was
introduced by Prof. Payam Akhavan of McGill's Faculty of Law. Prof.
Bhuta has been studying justice issues in Iraq since 2003, and has
spent 4 weeks in Iraq observing trials and researching the Iraqi
Special Tribunal.
Prof. Bhuta is currently
Assistant Professor of Law, teaching courses in international human
rights law at the University of Toronto. Previously, he was the
Arthur Helton Fellow in the International Justice Program at Human
Rights Watch, and was a consultant with the International Center for
Transitional Justice in New York.
Rapporteur Notes [full text in
pdf]
Three distinguished lawyers
in various areas of international law told their stories about their
particular practice. Our panelists included Douglas C. Robertson (Heenan Blaikie LLP) speaking
on international business transactions, problems and pitfalls; Alex Konigsberg (Lapointe Rosenstein LLP) speaking
on international trade and the international community; and Martin J. Valasek (Ogilvy Renault LLP) speaking on
international arbitration.
Rapporteur
Notes [full
text in pdf]
Sergeant Dan Ste-Marie
started the Conference by offering a definition of human trafficking:
the movement of individuals for the purposes of exploitation. His
comments addressed the global nature of human trafficking and the
problems that Canadian authorities have encountered in trying to combat
the phenomenon and help the victims. Following are some excerpts from
his talk:
Next, Suzie Raymond from
the RCMP in Montréal discussed the centrality of education and
raising awareness in order to effectively combat this problem, both in
terms of law enforcement officials as well as the general public.
Finally, Benjamin Perrin,
Executive Director of the Future Group addressed a report issued
recently by the Future Group that gave Canada a failing grade on its
response to the issue of Human Trafficking. The failing grade was
traced primarily to the lack of status granted to possible victims of
trafficking, and the lack of federal funding dedicated to this group.
Benjamin highlighted two issues that must be considered in any legal
regime to help the victims: restoration of victims and support of
victims. He drew from the special laws pertaining to human trafficking
victims which exist in the United States and Australia to demonstrate
ways in which Canada could improve its approach.
Rapporteur Notes [full text in
pdf]
Related Volunteer
Opportunities:
- The Future
Group
- The Salvation
Army
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Marc-André
Séguin presented us with a student's perspective on the World
Social Forum [WSF] Venezuela 2006. Marc-André attended the WSF
as a journalist for Le Délit, McGill's on-campus
francophone newspaper, and as a freelancer for Le Soleil, La Presse,
and a radio station from Nicaragua. He highlighted some of the biggest
challenges his delegation of journalists and photographers faced,
namely, the impossibility of adequately covering the overwhelming
number of conferences and meetings of the WSF, not to mention those of
the sub-groups, such as the "Campement de la Jeunesse." His focus at
the WSF was primarily as an observer on the growing collaboration
between Quebec-based non-governmental organizations and Latin American
left-wing movements. Marc-André also shared his view of Chavez'
"appropriation" of the WSF, and presented the vast differences in local
newspaper coverage of the WSF.
Rapporteur Notes [full text in pdf]
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Press Release [pdf]
Op-Ed,"Milosevic Trial set revolutionary precedent," Montreal
Gazette [pdf]
Announcement, Montreal
Mirror [html] [pdf]
"Le procès Milosevic," Le Délit
[html]
[pdf]
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Law
Library of Congress - Guide to Law Online
Doddel
Server
Electronic
Information System for International Law
Foreign
and International Law Web
The International Law Page
International Legal Materials
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Canadian Council on
International Law
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Comprehensive list at FindLaw
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European Society of
International Law
American
Society of International Law
International
Law Students Society
International
Commission of Jurists
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International Court of
Justice
European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Justice
International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY)
North American Free Trade Organization (NAFTA)
World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
World
Trade Organization (WTO)
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Comprehensive list at ASIL
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