Library Highlights: International Law


Semiotics of International Law: Trade and Translation
Evandro Menezes de Carvalho
F86 K213 .C36713 2011
From the Publisher: Language carries more than meanings; language conveys a means of conceiving the world. In this sense, national legal systems expressed through national languages organize the Law based on their own understanding of reality. International Law becomes, in this context, the meeting point where different legal cultures and different views of world intersect. The diversity of languages and legal systems can enrich the possibilities of understanding and developing international law, but it can also represent an instability and unsafety factor to the international scenario. This multilegal-system and multilingual scenario adds to the complexity of international law and poses new challeng-es. One of them is legal translation, which is a field of knowledge and professional skill that has not been the subject of theoretical thinking on the part of legal scholars. How to negotiate, draft or inter-pret an international treaty that mirrors what the parties, – who belong to different legal cultures and who, on many occasions, speak different mother tongues – , want or wanted to say? By analyzing the decision-making process and the legal discourse adopted by the WTO’s Appellate Body, this book highlights the active role of language in diplomatic negotiations and in interpreting international law. In addition, it also shows that the debate on the effectiveness and legitimacy of International Law can-not be separated from the linguistic issue.

International Tax Law: A Legal Research Guide
Christopher C. Dykes
K103.T3 D95 2011
From the Publisher: This book presents an overview of the different aspects of international tax law as well as how to locate the various primary and secondary sources, including model tax conventions, bilateral tax treaties, and customary law. It also covers international taxation from the U.S. perspec-tive, and explores researching international tax law through online databases, using free sources as well as subscription services. Will be useful for law firms, tax professionals, law librarians, and all oth-ers interested in researching international tax law.

The New Global Law
Rafael Domingo
KZ3410 .D66 2010
From the Publisher: The dislocations of the worldwide economic crisis, the necessity of a system of global justice to address crimes against humanity, and the notorious ‘democratic deficit’ of internation-al institutions highlight the need for an innovative and truly global legal system, one that permits hu-manity to reorder itself according to acknowledged global needs and evolving consciousness. A new global law will constitute, by itself, a genuine legal order and will not be limited to a handful of moral principles that attempt to guide the conduct of the world’s peoples. If the law of nations served the hegemonic interests of Ancient Rome, and international law served those of the European nation-state, then a new global law will contribute to the common good of all humanity and, ideally, to the develop-ment of durable world peace. This volume offers a historical-juridical foundation for the development of this new global law.

Guide to ICSID Arbitration
Lucy Reed, Jan Paulsson, Nigel Blackaby
K3834 .R44 2011
From the Publisher: The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has be-come the leading arbitration institution for the resolution of investor-state disputes. Today, any com-pany considering an investment in a foreign country and any financing entity playing a role in the in-vestment must be aware of ICSID and the growing matrix of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and multilateral treaties (MITs), most notably, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), providing access to ICSID. Familiarity with the regime and jurispru-dence of ICSID arbitration is essential for any international investment lawyer, whether focused on transactions or disputes. This second edition of the Guide takes account of the scores of ICSID awards and decisions rendered since 2004, as well as significant amendments to ICSID rules and practices. It provides a sufficiently detailed but still ‘user-friendly’ understanding of what ICSID arbitration is, when and how it can and should be used, and how an ICSID case works from start to finish.

International White Collar Crime: Cases and Materials
Bruce Zagaris
KZ3410 .F38 2010
From the Publisher: Contemporary transnational criminals take advantage of globalization, trade lib-eralization, and emerging new technologies to commit a diverse range of crimes, and to move money, goods, services, and people instantaneously for purposes of pure economic gain and/or political vio-lence. This book captures the importance of transnational business crime and international relations by examining the rise of international economic crime and recent strategies in the United States and abroad to combat it. The book is organized into three main sections. The first part discusses substan-tive crimes, particularly tax, money laundering, and counter-terrorism financial enforcement; transna-tional corruption; transnational organized crime; and export control and economic sanctions. The se-cond part discusses procedural aspects of international white collar crime, namely extraterritorial ju-risdiction, evidence gathering, extradition, and international prisoner transfer. The third part discusses the role of international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank Group, Interpol, and economic integration groups.

Interpreting TRIPS: Globalisation of Intellectual Property Rights and Access to Medicines
Hiroko Yamane
K1401.A41994 Y36 2011
From the Publisher: Protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) has become a global issue. The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Agreement outlines the minimum standards for IPR protection for WTO members and offers a global regime for IPR protection. However, the bene-fits of TRIPS are more questionable in poorer countries where national infrastructure for research and development (R&D) and social protection are inadequate, whereas the cost of innovation is high. To-day, after more than a decade of intense debate over global IPR protection, the problems remain acute, although there is also evidence of progress and cooperation.
This book examines various views of the role of IPRs as incentives for innovation against the backdrop of development and the transfer of technology between globalised, knowledge-based, high technology economies. The book retraces the origins, content and interpretations of the TRIPS Agreement, includ-ing its interpretations by WTO dispute settlement organs. It also analyses sources of controversy over IPRs, examining pharmaceutical industry strategies of emerging countries with different IPR policies.

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