Fostering a Scholarly Network in International Law: An Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

This special issue of the Alberta Law Review is devoted to the discussion of current topics within the field and discipline of international law, including matters of international trade and investment law, international development, peace and security, international criminal law, and the international protection of human rights. The publication of this issue represents the culmination of an extraordinary intellectual exchange between four societies dedicated to the development and promotion of international law, which together represent five countries and attract membership from lawyers within academia, government, and private practice. The “Four Societies” initiative stems from an initial partnership in the early 1990s between the American Society of International Law (ASIL), the Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL), and the Japanese Society of International Law (JSIL), which was later expanded upon during the current decade to include the Australian & New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL). Without the support of these Four Societies, this special issue, and the two-day conference at which the articles were first presented, would not have taken place.