Spring 2016 Events

January-April 2016

Colloquium on International Law and Politics

141 Law Building, 11:20 am-1:10 pm

In this colloquium, participants will address some of the most challenging questions of international law and politics by studying the cutting-edge work of the field’s leading scholars. Each class meeting will feature a guest speaker who will present their research; subjects include issues in international trade, human rights, arbitration and litigation, and international legal theory.

Seating is limited.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Karen Chin (kchin@law.berkeley.edu). 

February 2, 2016 (Tuesday)

The Refugee Crisis in Lebanon

132 Law Building, 12.45 pm

lunch will be served

Sponsored by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects (SLPS) Program

Come hear six Berkeley Law students who have recently returned from a week-long trip to Beirut with IRAP to discuss the situation of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Lebanon today. Educate yourself on the largest refugee crisis since World War II with on-the-ground accounts, and learn how you can help.

February 4, 2016 (Thursday)

A Conversation with Tom Malinowski (UCB ’87)

US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
134 Law Building, 11:05 am-12:00 pm

Co-sponsored with the Human Rights Center and International Human Rights Law Clinic

Seating is limited with priority given to Berkeley Law students. Reservations will be made on a first-come/first-served basis. RSVP to Karen Chin (kchin@law.berkeley.edu).

Join us for a conversation with Tom Malinowski (UC Berkeley ’87), US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor leads the US efforts to promote democracy, protect human rights and international religious free­dom, and advance labor rights globally.

Tom Malinowski, who earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State in 2014. Previously, he was Washington Director for Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading independent international organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights.

He has also served as Senior Director on the National Security Council at the White House, where he oversaw the drafting of President Clinton’s foreign policy speeches and strategic communications efforts around the world. Before working in the White House, he was a speechwriter for Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright, and was a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff.

He also holds an M.Phil. in political science from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

March 4, 2016 (Friday)

Panel and Discussion on “Egypt: Five Years Later”

100 Law Building, 4:00-6:30 pm

Co-sponsored with the Center on Institutions and Governance; the Institute of International Studies; the Center for Arab Societies and Environments Studies; the Center for Middle Eastern Studies; and the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues

The Egyptian Uprising of January 2011 was a bold moment in Egyptian history and its initial success led many to label that moment an “Arab Spring.” Many things that followed did not go as imagined or planned. The election of an Islamist president, the issuing of several irregular presidential decrees, the deteriorating security situation in Sinai and the country, the intervention of the military, and finally his overthrow in another popular uprising were a few of the major events in Egypt in the immediate years that followed the first uprising, The speakers in this panel, all academics who are also public intellectuals, will provide an assessment of the current situation in Egypt following the second uprising of 2013 and the repercussions  of current regime’s policies and the general conditions in Egypt today.

MODERATOR

Nezar AlSayyad
Professor of Architecture, Planning, and Urban History, UC Berkeley
Faculty Director of Center for Arab Societies and Environments Studies, UC Berkeley

SPEAKERS

“The Egyptian Revolution: A People’s Quest for Collective Sovereignty”
Khaled Fahmy
Professor of History, The American University in Cairo
Visiting Professor in Modern Middle Eastern History, Harvard University

“Ridiculing Politics in Egypt: Understanding the Military Autocracy in Egypt”
Amr Hamzawy
Professor of Political Science, Cairo University
Visiting Scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, Stanford University

“Egypt’s Democratic Future Between Revolution and Counterrevolution”
Emad Shahin
Professor of Public Policy, The American University in Cairo
Visiting Professor at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

“Democratic Values for New Egypt”
Nagwan Soliman
Researcher, European University Institute
Visiting Scholar, Center on Institutions and Governance, UC Berkeley

March 4-5, 2016 (Friday-Saturday)

Comparative and International Administrative Law and Politics Workshop

UC Berkeley

This invitation-only conference will bring together scholars from the United States and Europe who are working in domestic administrative law and in international law and have an interest in comparative administrative law.  Scholars will have the opportunity to present current working papers.

March 13, 2016 (Sunday)

The 2016 Chowdhury Center Distinguished Lecture:  
Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen

In conversation with Pranab Bardhan
Professor of Economics, UC Berkeley

The Sanctuary, First Presbyterian Church
2407 Dana Street, Berkeley
4:00-6:00 pm

Co-sponsored with The Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies; the Institute for South Asia Studies; the Human Rights Center; the IAS Teaching Program; the Department of Political Science; the School of Public Health; the Department of Economics; the Goldman School of Public Policy; the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies; the Catherine and William L. Magistretti Chair in South and Southeast Asian Studies; the Master of Development Practice; and the Center of Evaluation for Global Action

Event Contact: isas@berkeley.edu | 510-642-3608

Amartya Sen is a highly acclaimed economist, writer and philosopher who was awarded the 1998 Nobel prize for his contributions to welfare economics. Regarded as one of the world’s foremost thinkers, Professor Sen was featured on Time Magazine’s list of ‘World’s 50 Most Influential People Who Matter’ and was named the ‘Third Most Influential Thought Leader of 2014” by Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute.

Professor Sen helped create the United Nations Human Development Index and is best known for his work on famine, poverty and the role of freedom as a means for development. He was the first person to measure gendercide and in 1990, determined that an astonishing 100 million women were demographically “missing” in the world due to vicious discriminatory practices. He has long championed education for girls and economic empowerment of women – as both a moral right and a tool for development.

Currently the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, Sen has also worked as a Professor at the London School of Economics and at The University of Oxford. His research has encompassed economic theory, ethics and political philosophy, welfare economics, development economics, public health, and gender studies.

March 28, 2016 (Monday)

Panel on “Stopping War Crimes Before They Happen: Preventing Violations of the Law in Armed Conflict”

Berkeley Launch of The International Review of the Red Cross on “Generating Respect for the Law“

Panel discussion 5:00- 6:30 pm
Reception 6:30-7:00 pm
132 Law Building

Sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the American Red Cross, the American Society for International Law’s Lieber Society, the Berkeley Center for the Study of Law and Society, and the Berkeley Human Rights Center

PANEL:
Tracey Begley
International Committee of the Red Cross, Washington DC (moderator)

Andrew Carswell
International Committee of the Red Cross, Ottawa, Canada

Richard Jackson
Colonel (Retired), Special Assistant to the US Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters

Kate Jastram
Blum Center for Developing Economies, UC Berkeley

Sharon Weill
Visiting Scholar, Center for the Study of Law and Society, Berkeley Law; Lecturer in international law at Sciences-Po (Paris) and Geneva

During armed conflict, even the most basic tenets of the law are often violated. How can one ensure that respect for human life and dignity remains a common concern by all sides to the conflict? What can be done to encourage respect for the law and prevent violations? This year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is organizing a series of conferences, including this Berkeley launch event, on the theme of “Generating Respect for the Law,” in order to tackle a range of questions related to improving respect for international humanitarian law. Two of the ICRC Review’s authors will be joined by speakers from ICRC and the Office of the US Judge Advocate General to highlight measures being taken with and by armed forces, non-state actors, national courts and academia to promote better respect for the law.

For more information, contact Patty Moddelmog (pattyem@law.berkeley.edu).

March 30-April 2, 2016 (Wednesday-Saturday)

American Society of International Law’s Annual Meeting

Washington DC

The American Society of International Law (ASIL), with its membership of scholars, practitioners, and students of international law from around the world, will explore the theme of  “Charting New Frontiers in International Law” at the 2016 Annual Meeting.  The meeting will feature keynote addresses by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (Grotius Lecture) and US Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer (Assembly Keynote), as well as Dutch Minister of Security and Justice Ard van der Steur (Closing Plenary Keynote).  For more information, see the ASIL Annual Meeting website.

Berkeley Law is an ASIL Academic Partner.

March 31, 2016 (Thursday) (CANCELED)

2016 Riesenfeld Award and Symposium

Organized by the Berkeley Journal of International Law

Sponsored by the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law

One of the great traditions at Berkeley Law is the Stefan Riesenfeld Award, which allows students, alumni/ae, faculty, and staff to come together to recognize and celebrate achievement in international law.  Stefan Riesenfeld (’37) was a Berkeley Law professor and recognized authority in numerous legal specialties including international law, comparative law, property law, creditors’ remedies and bankruptcy, administrative law, and legal history.  Each year the Award is given to a distinguished scholar or practitioner who has made outstanding contributions to the field of international law and who has demonstrated a commitment to the values that Professor Riesenfeld espoused. The occasion is also marked by convening a Symposium Panel to examine a key international law issue.

April 11, 2016 (Monday)

Deadline for submitting application for Certificate of Specialization in International Law

Berkeley Law students may undertake a specialization in international law. The specialized curricular program ensures students develop a broad background in fundamental areas of law while receiving advanced training in international law. Students who meet the requirements are awarded a Certificate of Specialization in International Law.

For more information on the requirements for the certificate and an application, click here.

May 12, 2016 (Thursday)

Certificate of Specialization in International Law Award Ceremony

132 Law Building, 2:00-3:30 pm

Please join us in recognizing the extraordinary achievements of the Berkeley Law students as recipients of the 2016 Certificate of Specialization in International Law.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Toni Mendicino (tmendicino@law.berkeley.edu / 510-643-7969).