Category: Legal Theory

Nearly a universal institution with 187 member countries and $842 billion dollars in resources, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is most likely the most powerful of all international organizations.   Originally mandated to manage a fixed exchange rate system, the IMF has extended its influence into development projects by imposing market-based economies in developing countries.  The… Continue reading On One Condition- The politics of Conditional Lending in developing Countries

When I began reading the Young Lords a Reader, I immediately questioned whom these writers were.  Not because I agreed or disagreed with their message, but because of the language they used.  Words such as — revolution, oppressed, traitors, yangqui, Amerikkkan, socialist, and many others popped out of the pages.  Their use in the articles… Continue reading Language – The Power to Unify or Divide.

In this paper, I examine the tension between hydroelectric power development and indigenous rights and ecological integrity.   In short, I analyze the environmental consequences, energy and economic benefits, and the domestic and international legal mechanisms that could halt the Belo Monte dam construction.  I also explore social movements as a non-legal mechanism to confront the… Continue reading Sustainable Development and Climate Change Policy: An Environmental Justice Case Study of Belo Monte Dam, ParÁ¡, Brazil

In Gramscian theorizing, hegemonic power is of a different type than that usually associated with pure material dominance, and is linked to intellectual and moral leadership’ via ideology , which has the same energy as a material force’ (Gramsci 1971: 377). Whilst it is true that the dominant economic class can (and does) exercise sheer… Continue reading Notes on Hegemony

The Ruggie Report made an astute observation when it came to the human rights enforcement gap. It stated —   The root cause of the business and human rights predicament today lies in the governance gaps created by globalization – between the scope and impact of economic forces and actors, and the capacity of societies… Continue reading State Responsiblity and Corporate Self-Regulation

In establishing that a group has collective responsibility for their actions, a measure of control is necessary.  Without it, the group or mob could not be considered a group or mob at all.  If there was no control, there could not be any intent to create a group, or to obtain a goal, or to… Continue reading Collective Responsibility: UN and the Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

Throughout the article, An ontological analysis of states- Organizations vs. legal persons, by Edward Robinson, he reviews and critiques the many definitions geographers have of nation states.  The author correctly looks to define the state as something beyond its physical geography and posits that the state should be defined beyond its bounded territory and analysis… Continue reading The Ontology of Statehood

David Byrne defines complexity as ”interdisciplinary understanding of reality as composed of complex open systems with emergent properties and transformational potential”[1] (325).  This understanding of complexity theory echoes similar definitions we read in the past — mainly social science research.  The definitions and found in science and mathematics, especially the significance given to algorithms, does… Continue reading Complexity Theory, Revolution, and Social Movements

This paper explores theories of Marx, environmentalism, ecology, radical ecology, and anarchism.  The paper critiques capitalist societies, production, consumption and waste patterns, and argues for a dramatic shift in society and being.  Nature is a limit to capital production; therefore, the current growth patterns are not sustainable and will lead to global catastrophe through climate… Continue reading Marx, Capitalism, Globalization, and Climate Change: Revolutionary Ideas For Climate Change Mitigation

Global systems, whether they are legal, economic, or governmental in nature, are built on defined or organized structures.  Through this structure, actors rely on the predictability of the systems to obtain some goal or take some action.  The United States Constitution, a rather short document, is an excellent example of a system that provides some… Continue reading Complexity Theory, International Life, and Conspiracy