This book gathers together 20 articles written by Professor Reisman, representative of his contribution to international scholarship. They are divided into six parts: jurisprudence, international law, war, human rights, international organizations and international investment law.
Preface
This book—Selected Essays of W. Michael Reisman—was compiled to honor our teacher, Professor Michael Reisman, on his 80th birthday, which was celebrated in Deqing adjacent to Hangzhou Municipality, Zhejiang Province of China. At Michael’s 70th birthday celebration we decided to hold his 80th birthday celebration in China. Since then, we were on the look-out for the right place to pay a fitting tribute to Professor Reisman—an internationally renowned scholar and yet an unassuming human being.
During our search, we came across Deqing, which has a great cultural heritage and the potential to become a vibrant hub for Hi-tech in artificial intelligence. It is also the birth place of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. Once we came across Deqing, where the mountainous areas are dotted with old residences of dignitaries of the Guomindang Government and foreign investors—we were left in no doubt that it was the right place for our celebration. What is more, we were much encouraged by the enthusiasm of local government officials—Governor Wang Qinying and her colleagues. When she heard about Professor Reisman’s immense contribution to law, she insisted that the event should be held in Deqing. Her unsurpassable eagerness and sincerity convinced us all. The decision was made.
Thanks to the enthusiastic support of Governor Wang and her colleagues, the birthday celebration was a complete success; more than 100 judges, professors and young scholars from all over the world gathered in Deqing. The 9th Conference on New Haven School of Jurisprudence and International Law was held alongside the celebration and Professor Reisman delivered the keynote address. Many of the participants were Michael’s students though not necessarily at Yale Law School. For instance, in attendance were a number of senior Chinese judges, who had studied under him in an academic program offered by City University of Hong Kong. Those who were not his students were no less admirers of this great scholar!
Professor Reisman is not only greatly admired as a scholar: He is also greatly respected for who he is, a caring teacher and friend. We all have fond memories of how Michael guided us in our studies and our personal endeavors, encouraging us to pursue our beliefs and convictions. We are indeed very fortunate to have Professor Reisman as our teacher and friend.
Professor Reisman is an ardent advocate of the New Haven School of Jurisprudence, the brainchild of Professors Myres S. McDougal and Harold D. Lasswell. For Professor Reisman, lawmaking is a process of communication: “[a]ll groups are, perforce, communications networks.” He observes that “[l]awmaking, though often regulated by law, is a political process and, as such, involves another, indispensable component: power, the capacity and willingness to make a preferential expression effective.” He describes law as a process of authoritative and controlling decision, which comprises seven components: intelligence, promotion, prescription, invocation, application, termination and appraisal. Professor Reisman considers it a task of all international scholars “to fashion conceptual tools for understanding, collecting and processing relevant data about the lawmaking which occurs in the widely varying circumstances of international law… and to apply the skills of the jurist to influence the process so as to secure desired outcomes.” The ultimate purpose of this task is to help create a world public order of human dignity. These Selected Essays aim to reflect the contemporary status of the New Haven School of Jurisprudence.
This book gathers together 20 articles written by Professor Reisman, representative of his contribution to international scholarship. They are divided into six parts: jurisprudence, international law, war, human rights, international organizations and international investment law.
Many worked very hard for months on end to bring out this publication: to them all we extend our warmest thanks. We owe a special debt of gratitude to Ms Cina Santos (Professor Reisman’s assistant), Dr. ZHU Ying and Ms. LIANG Bingjie. Special thanks must also go to the Law Press for the excellent finish of this important work.
Guiguo WANG
Eason-Weinmann Chair of International and Comparative Law
School of Law
Tulane University, USA
University Professor of Law
Guanghua Law School
Zhejiang University, China
Contents
Part Ⅰ Jurisprudence
A Jurisprudence from the Perspective of the “Political Superior” 3
The Tormented Conscience: Applying and Appraising Unauthorized Coercion 29
Myth System and Operational Code 75
On the Causes of Uncertainty and Volatility in International Law 97
Part Ⅱ International Law
The Democratization of Contemporary International Law-Making Processes and the Differentiation of Their Application 123
International Law Making: A Process of Communication 140
Unilateral Action in an Imperfect World Order 172
Part Ⅲ War
Stopping Wars and Making Peace: Reflections on the Ideology and Practice of Conflict Termination in Contemporary World Politics 193
Assessing Claims to Revise the Laws of War 255
Holding the Center of the Law of Armed Conflict 271
Part Ⅳ Human Rights
Acting Before Victims Become Victims: Preventing and Arresting Mass Murder 287
Humanitarian Intervention: Politics and Prudence 323
Why Regime Change Is (Almost Always) a Bad Idea 338
Part Ⅴ International Organizations
The United States and International Institutions 357
The Constitutional Crisis in the United Nations 383
New Scenarios of Threats to International Peace and Security:Developing Legal Capacities for Adequate Responses 412
Towards a Normative Theory of Differential Responsibility for International Security Functions: Responsibilities of Major Powers 446
Part Ⅵ International Investment Law
Negotiating Investment Treaties:Mechanisms for Anticipating and Controlling Textual Drift 465
The Question of Unilateral Governmental Statements as Applicable Law in Investment Disputes 479
“Case Specific Mandates” versus “Systemic Implications”: How Should Investment Tribunals Decide? 497
Canute Confronts the Tide: States versus Tribunals and the Evolution of the Minimum Standard in Customary International Law 529
目录
第一部分:法理学
从“政治优越性”看法理学 3
被折磨的良心:运用和评价未经授权的强制 29
神秘系统与潜规则 75
论国际法的不确定性和易变性之原因 97
第二部分:国际法
当代国际立法过程的民主化及应用上的区别 123
国际立法:一个交流的过程 140
不完美的国际秩序下的单方面行动 172
第三部分:战争
止战与维和:对当代国际政治中终止冲突的意识形态与
实践的反思 193
对修订战争法之主张的评估 255
建立武装冲突法中心 271
第四部分:人权
在受害者成为受害者之前采取行动:预防和阻止大屠杀 287
人道主义干涉:政治与审慎 323
为什么政权更迭(几乎总是)一个坏主意 338
第五部分:国际组织
美国与国际机构 357
联合国体制上的危机 383
对国际和平与安全的新威胁:发展具充分响应力的法律能力 412
有关国际安全职能不同责任的规范性理论:大国责任 446
第六部分:国际投资法
投资协定的谈判:预期和控制文意偏移之机制 465
国际投资争端中政府单方声明作为准据法的问题 479
“个案授权”与“系统性暗示”:投资仲裁庭应如何决断 497
大势所趋:国家对仲裁庭——国际习惯法最低标准待遇的
发展 529