Confirmed Speakers

Symposium Chairs

Schedule

Dedication

OVERVIEW

The Symposium asks: 

• What is the relationship between the practice of international law and the conduct of foreign relations?
• How does international law affect policy, and policy affect the practice of international lawyers?
• How do international lawyers inside and outside government interact with policy makers?
• What channels of communication exist between those who teach international law in the academy and those who practice international law in various settings?
• How does the field of international law cope with the tension between theory and practice, commitment and realpolitik?
• What is the responsibility of the international lawyer within government when confronted with an apparent clash between policy and law?
• How do these issues affect the various roles played by international lawyers (judge, advisor, activist, academic)?
• How are these issues dealt with in different national political and legal cultures and traditions?

"Speaking Law to Power: International Law and Foreign Policy," draws its inspiration from Professor Bilder's seminal l962 article on "The Office of the Legal Adviser: The State Department Lawyer and Foreign Affairs," 56 American Journal of International Law 633 (1962), and his subsequent work in this area. Through this Symposium we hope to continue and expand on a tradition Professor Bilder has helped develop. To do that and address the questions posed above, we have invited a distinguished panel of international lawyers who have studied and lived with these issues in and outside of government.The papers will be published in the Wisconsin International Law Journal.

Additional Information:

Please contact, Margo Alpert, Symposium Editor at mlalpert@wisc.edu for more information and registration details.