On March 6 and 7, 2014, the International Association of Constitutional Law’s Working Group on Constitutional Responses to Terrorism will be hosting a conference at Harvard Law School on transnational aspects of counterterrorism. I am chair of the Working Group, which brings together annually scholars and practitioners of constitutional law from a multitude of nations to discuss a topic of counterterrorism law of mutual interest. In past years we have met in Milan and Sydney. This year we will meet at Harvard Law School, and are focusing on the ways in which fighting terrorism requires transnational cooperation and raises a host of novel transnational problems — a topic whose timeliness has been underscored by Edward Snowden’s disclosures. We are accepting proposals for papers, and would welcome your participation. The Call for Papers is available here and copied below. Submissions were initially due by November 17, but we will accept them through the end of November.
International Association of Constitutional Law
Research Group on Constitutional Responses to Terrorism
Call for Papers for Conference at
Harvard Law School (USA) – 6-7 March 2014
“Constitutionalism Across Borders in the Struggle Against Terrorism”
On behalf of the IACL Research Group on Constitutional Responses to Terrorism, we hereby invite proposals in the form of abstracts for papers to be delivered at an international conference on “Constitutionalism Across Borders in the Struggle Against Terrorism” hosted by Harvard Law School, in Boston – Massachusetts (USA), on 6-7 March 2014.
During the last two decades the struggle against terrorism has increasingly acquired a world-wide dimension. States have pooled their forces by coordinating their counter-terrorism policies in the framework of international or regional organizations. At the same time, states have resorted to transnational instruments of cooperation, for instance by sharing information on national security threats on a peer-to-peer basis. The recent disclosure about surveillance by the NSA has occasioned transnational disputes and concerns. We welcome proposals that seek to bring comparative analysis to bear on these new dynamics, from the perspective of national security and human rights. Issues that authors might want to address include, for example:
- Constitutional challenges and opportunities arising from international institutions and obligations
- Constitutional issues arising from EU and ECHR obligations and coordination
- Constitutional challenges posed by transnational cooperation and divergence in counter-terrorism policy and practice
- Constitutional questions about trans-border coverage and protection: who beyond a nation’s own citizens enjoy constitutional rights, and where do such rights apply?
The conference will last a day and a half and will feature the participation, among others, of Martin Scheinin (President of the IACL and former UN Special Rapporteur on Terrorism and Human Rights), Lech Garlicki (Former Judge of the European Court of Human Rights), Savvas Papasavvas (Judge of the General Court of the EU), Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University), Erika de Wet (University of Pretoria) and Vicki Jackson, the host of the event at Harvard Law School. Abstract proposals of max. 300 words and the author’s cv should be emailed, along with any query, to federico.fabbrini@gmail.com by November 17, 2013. Once abstracts are accepted, papers of max. 6000 words will be due February 15, 2014 to permit exchange of drafts prior to the conference and possible inclusion in a publication with a top international publisher soon afterwards. Selected speakers are expected to bear their own costs for travel and accommodation.
Convenors
Prof. David Cole, Georgetown University, Research Group Chair
Ass. Prof. Federico Fabbrini, Tilburg Law School, Research Group Coordinator