Borderlines

Diverse international organizations play an increasingly important role on the modern world stage, helping maintain global peace, protecting human rights and displaced persons, and regulating economic cooperation. How have attempts to build more nimble alternatives to slow-moving bureaucratic bodies fared in the 21st century? Join leading thinkers and coauthors Professor Kristina Daugirdas (Michigan) and host Professor Katerina Linos as they deliver a mini-Master Class on the features, forms, and futures of international organizations. Discover common problem-solving features and functions among intergovernmental entities, and explore how multilateral environmental treaties have adapted to changing conditions and scientific knowledge in the absence of a formal effective organization on climate change. From the World Health Organization to regional non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Episode #14 of Borderlines helps listeners understand how international organizations and transnational networks develop and shape government conduct as well as impact non-State actors.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

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Episode #13 of Borderlines features distinguished international economic law scholar Paul B. Stephan discussing his new book, The World Crisis and International Law: The Knowledge Economy and the Battle for the Future. Professor Stephan (Virginia) joins host Professor Katerina Linos (Berkeley) for a fascinating look at how the limits of international law are tested and found wanting in the era of globalization. The development of the tech economy in the 1990s changed historic international institutions, creating fissures between nations that demand new forms of international cooperation in the face of global crises. Don’t miss these renowned experts as they examine Putin’s misjudgment of response to Ukraine one year after the invasion, and reveal that both the Trump and Biden administrations are more protectionist and populist then their predecessors. From free trade to open borders, listeners will come away with a new perspective on the Information Age and what the future may hold for economic liberalism and the rule of law. 

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

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Ralph Bunche’s monumental impact as a ground-breaking scholar, diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize winner, civil rights advocate and world influencer receives a thrilling spotlight in Episode #12 of Borderlines. UCLA Professor Kal Raustiala shares stories and highlights from his recent book, The Absolutely Indispensable Man: Ralph Bunche, the United Nations and the Fight to End Empire, tracing the fascinating life of one of the twentieth century’s most prominent Black Americans. Discover hidden history about Bunche’s pivotal role in international decolonization efforts and learn why his leadership and inspiring ideas still reverberate today.

Borderlines listeners who preorder the book from Oxford University Press by December 1, 2022 can receive a 30% discount when using code AAFLYG6 at their website.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

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How can Western democracies defend themselves against the weaponization of social media by authoritarian states? Episode #11 of Borderlines welcomes Santa Clara Law Professor David Sloss, author of Tyrants on Twitter, a new book examining Russia and China’s manipulation of digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to wage information warfare. His analysis includes innovative proposals for transnational cooperation to counter this modern threat while still protecting privacy and free speech rights. Listeners will take away fresh ideas about combatting foreign influence operations in the U.S. and Europe, and regulating the internet in the age of disinformation.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

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What happens when different legal systems give conflicting answers to the same question, and arguably, each set of rules applies? Episode #10 of Borderlines introduces U.S. and European Union approaches to Conflict of Laws in interstate and international contracts. Three experts join us: UC Berkeley Professor Andrew Bradt, author of Complex Litigation, UC Davis Professor Bill Dodge, author of Transnational Business Problems, and Montpellier Professor Claude Ferry, president of IABA, the International Association of Berkeley Law Alumni in Europe. They clarify technical issues with huge stakes: explaining, for instance, how American firms, but not European firms, can easily use governing law clauses to circumvent local labor and consumer protections. For listeners interested in more, Bill Dodge’s Transnational Litigation Blog has up-to-the moment updates.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

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Episode #9 of Borderlines features legendary U.S. Foreign Service Officer and Latin American expert Irving G. Tragen on the occasion of his 100th birthday, in conversation about his life and legacy with Berkeley Law’s newly-named Tragen Professor of Law, Dr. Katerina Linos. 

Drawing on more than 55 years of distinguished public service in Inter-American Affairs, Irving Tragen recounts his fascinating journey as a law student during WWII overcoming hearing impairment, through his frontline State Department diplomatic assignments as a witness to and influencer of labor laws, labor relations, and economic development across the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Tragen was an integral part of President John F. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress initiative, as well as the Organization of American States’ Economic Development Program efforts to tackle debt and foreign trade crises, secure border area infrastructure projects, and combat international drug trafficking. Listeners will benefit from Mr. Tragen’s brilliant mini-briefings on nations from Chile to Costa Rica, and enjoy insider stories from history’s hotspots.

Timely lessons and timeless advice about investing in workforce education, and bringing respect to the table so as to successfully help people help themselves, are further highlights of this remarkable interview. Learn why Berkeley Law bestowed the Citation Award, its highest honor, on Mr. Tragen in 2010 for his exceptional leadership skills, character, and lifetime of achievements.

Borderlines from Berkeley Law is a podcast about global problems in a world fragmented by national borders. Our host is Katerina Linos, Tragen Professor of International Law and co-director of the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law. In each episode of Borderlines, Professor Linos invites experts to discuss cutting edge issues in international law.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special episode of Borderlines features Islamic legal studies and comparative and foreign law innovator Professor Intisar Rabb, talking about her leading research on shared methods of interpretation for textualists across different systems. The podcast builds upon ideas raised at the 2022 Irvine Tragen Lecture on Comparative Law at UC Berkeley School of Law.

Intisar A. Rabb is a Professor of Law & History and the faculty director of the Program in Islamic Law at Harvard Law School. She has published widely on Islamic law in historical and modern contexts, including the book Doubt in Islamic Law (Cambridge University Press 2015) and numerous articles on Islamic constitutionalism, legal canons, and the history of the Qur'an text. She has conducted research in Egypt, Iran, Syria, and elsewhere. In 2015, Professor Rabb and co-partners launched SHARIAsource – an online portal designed to provide universal access to Islamic law and history resources and galvanize research using AI tools.

In Episode Eight of Borderlines, listeners will learn about the history and resurgent use of legal canons – principles of interpretation that judges derive from common law and use when resolving issues unclear from the text alone – including their ancient role in Islamic law and modern application at the U.S. Supreme Court. Shared similar legal canons threading across systems with like linguistic features, known as metacanons, are broken down. Dialogue covers how statutory interpretation connects to civil and criminal legal systems, the dubious term “civilized nations” in international law, and battling stereotypes of Islamic law with new scholarly resources and coded data.

Borderlines from Berkeley Law is a podcast about global problems in a world fragmented by national borders. Our host is Katerina Linos, Tragen Professor of International Law and co-director of the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law. In each episode of Borderlines, Professor Linos invites experts to discuss cutting edge issues in international law.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special episode of Borderlines features influential educator, commentator, and litigator Philippe Sands discussing ground-breaking efforts to introduce ecocide – the crime of environmental destruction – into international legal arenas. 

Philippe Sands QC is Professor of Law at University College London, Pisar Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard, and a barrister at Matrix Chambers. He practises as Counsel before international courts and tribunals. His teaching areas include public international law, the settlement of international disputes including arbitration, and environmental and natural resources law. Philippe is the author of many books, including East West Street: On the Origins of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide (2016) and The Last Colony, forthcoming in September 2022. 

Philippe recently co-chaired an independent expert panel which proposed in June 2021 that a new, fifth crime of ecocide be adopted into the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In Episode Seven of Borderlines, listeners will learn about the relationship between ecocide and existing crimes, historic legal and political definitions of genocide being played out today, and the role of courts in enforcing awards and judgments against even Goliath polluters and aggressors. 

Borderlines from Berkeley Law is a podcast about global problems in a world fragmented by national borders. Our host is Katerina Linos, Tragen Professor of International Law and co-director of the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law. In each episode of Borderlines, Professor Linos invites experts to discuss cutting edge issues in international law.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the rising dominance of China as a superpower, a fresh examination of international law’s role in the global division between dictatorship and democracy has rarely been more relevant. This special episode of Borderlines features award-winning scholar Tom Ginsburg discussing ideas and theories from his recent book, Democracies and International Law.

Tom Ginsburg is the Leo Spitz Professor of International Law at the University of Chicago, where he also holds an appointment in the Political Science Department. He is a Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and currently co-directs the Comparative Constitutions Project.

Listen as Tom recounts his formative years in Berkeley, takes us behind the scenes at the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, and shares first-hand stories about crafting constitutions from Mongolia to Honduras. His unique world view will expand listeners’ perspectives beyond western approaches. As the balance of power between democracies and authoritarian regimes continues to shift in the twenty-first century, issues of human rights, the scope of cooperation across governments, and the comparative concepts covered in Episode Six of Borderlines will impact citizens of virtually every nation. 

Borderlines from Berkeley Law is a podcast about global problems in a world fragmented by national borders. Our host is Katerina Linos, Tragen Professor of International Law and co-director of the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Digital Markets Act will regulate tech giants through a unique “gatekeeper” scheme. The Act imposes antitrust obligations only on the market’s largest actors – predominantly American companies. Is this fair? Will it work?

In this special episode of Borderlines, listen to Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s top competition regulator and the policymaker Silicon Valley fears most, discuss the bill at the 2022 Riesenfeld Symposium at Berkeley Law School. Professor Anu Bradford of Columbia Law School, one of the nation’s leading antitrust experts, offers additional insight and perspective. 

Margrethe Vestager is the European Commissioner for Competition and the architect of the Digital Markets Act. She has led high-profile enforcement action against major tech companies for violating EU competition law. Professor Anu Bradford is an expert on EU law and global antitrust law. She is the author of The Brussels Effect. In her new book, The Battle for the Soul of the Digital Economy, she offers a comparative approach to internet regulation.

For more insights from the Riesenfeld Symposium, including the Chinese angle on tech giants and competition law, from Professor Angela Zhang of Hong Kong University, visit the Berkeley Law YouTube Channel.

For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law podcast hub.

Borderlines from Berkeley Law is a podcast about global problems in a world fragmented by national borders. Our host is Katerina Linos, Tragen Professor of International Law and co-director of the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law. In each episode of Borderlines, Professor Linos invites three experts to discuss cutting edge issues in international law.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.