To clone alone: the United Nations' Human Cloning Declaration.

The United Nations labored for almost four years to create a treaty governing human cloning. In 2005 that effort was abandoned, and instead the United Nations' General Assembly adopted a "Declaration on Human Cloning".     

Challenges and Outcomes at the Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

From 1 to 12 December 2003, the Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention took place in Milan, Italy. This conference continued the laborious effort of developing an international climate regime by preparing for the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force. Some two dozen decisions were adopted on a wide range of options for responding to climate change. This paper assesses the progress achieved at the conference on a number of issues. Among these were operational details for implementing forestry projects under the Convention’s Clean Development Mechanism, and guidelines for reporting on greenhouse gas emissions and removals from agriculture, forestry and land-use change. Parties also decided on rules with respect to two funds, the Special Climate Change Fund and the Least Developed Country Fund. With respect to developing countries, Parties continued discussions on rules for building response capacity in light of the expected adverse effects of climate change and transferring environmentally sound technology. They also discussed how to incorporate scientific advice from the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change into the negotiations. Although Russia did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol prior to the conference, Milan demonstrated momentum and interest among Parties to support the climate regime. Nevertheless, it is doubtful whether the detailed discussions were able to contribute to preparing for the long term. To this end, this paper concludes that more discussion and leadership is required to bridge the North/South gap if a post-2012 climate regime is to stand.     

美国《政府绩效与结果法》述评

美国《政府绩效与结果法》是各国政府绩效改革浪潮中具有里程碑意义的代表性立法。该法对政府绩效管理的目的、内容、责任、实施进程以及实施中的其他问题有详尽的规定,具有规范效力的统一性、推行实施的渐进性、管理评价方面的分权以及内容的灵活性等特征。该法在实施中获得好评的同时,也表现出了绩效改革与传统行政法治秩序之间的固有矛盾,使得绩效与法治两种目标的冲突在美国的政府改革过程中日见突出。我国正逐步深入的行政改革需要对此认真思考。     

Facebook Threats: the Missed Opportunities of Elonis V. United States

When the Supreme Court of the United States reversed the conviction of a man who posted vile, threatening messages on Facebook, it concluded that the federal law used to prosecute him lacked the necessary level of intent. In effect, the Court stopped there, saying it was “not necessary to consider any First Amendment issues.” In considering the Court's adoption of judicial minimalism in Elonis v. United States, this article suggests that, even within that framework, there existed chances to explore relevant issues. This included advancing a better understanding of the seriousness of cyber threats. In spite of embracing the importance of context in evaluating this and other cases, the Court rejected the opportunity to provide important perspective. Proscribing true threats does not compromise free speech values; it enhances them. The ideas of free speech and civilized speech can coexist.,     

The Angry Pamphleteer: True Threats,Political Speech,and Applying Watts v. United States in the Age of Twitter

Since the 1969 case Watts v. United States, courts have consistently held that politically motivated speech about or directed to public figures may be punished if it qualifies as a “true threat” rather than protected political hyperbole. Criticism of public officials lies at the core of First Amendment protection, even when that criticism is caustic or crude. Such caustic speech appears on Twitter with increasing frequency, often pushing the boundaries of the constitutional guarantees of free speech. Through an analysis of the political speech-true threat cases that apply Watts, this study identifies and assesses three distinct modes of analysis that lower courts use to distinguish political speech from true threats. They are: (1) criteria-based analysis; (2) ad hoc balancing; and (3) a form of balancing referred to herein as “line-crossing analysis.” This study concludes that criteria-based analysis is the most prominent mode used by lower courts. As applied to new media and political participation, criteria-based analysis risks unduly restricting valuable political speech.     

联合国改革与现代国际法：挑战、影响和作用

联合国的改革进程涉及诸多国际法问题，它对国家主权平等原则、不干涉内政原则和禁止以武力相威胁或使用武力原则提出了挑战。联合国改革与集体安全制度、《联合国宪章》的修改也密切相关。在联合国的改革进程中，现代国际法将发挥重要作用。同时，联合国改革又将进一步推动现代国际法的发展。     

论国家义务概念之确立与发展

对国家、人权思想变迁的基本史实与思想史进行简要梳理,论述国家义务是国家起源的孪生物,国家义务是实现国家目的的有效途径,凡人权所在之处,即为国家义务并行之时,相关制度设计为国家义务的确立提供了可行性方案,发现国家义务形成于《大宪章》时期,确立于17世纪英国资产阶级革命时期以及阐述其在近当代的发展变迁,并进一步总结出国家负有人权保障义务属应有之义.     

The United Nations,the United States,and the War on Terrorism

Since the moment the United Nations was created, the Americans have had certain expectations of it, which logically follow from their past.     

行政的变迁与行政法学范式转换 --《论公共行政与行政法学范式转换》述评

石佑启教授的专著<论公共行政与行政法学范式转换>从现代公共行政改革与发展着眼,从范式转换的高度全面而系统地梳理了行政法与公共行政的演进关系,概括了传统的行政法学范式及其面临的挑战,进而提出必须突破传统的理论框架进行范式转换,从而勾勒了在现代公共行政背景下的新的行政法学图景,为进一步完善行政法学理论体系,促进行政法治制度创新,更好地解决公共行政变革中产生的法律问题,提出了诸多富有创建性的观点,填补了行政法学研究上的一些空白.     

Youth participation and agency in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

This article examines the participation and agency of young non-state actors (NSAs) in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It utilizes the constituency of Youth NGOs: YOUNGO, as a case study to examine the relationship between selection of participatory strategies, power sources (following Nasiritousi et al. in Int Environ Agreem Politics Law Econ 16(1):109–126, 2016), recognition and agency using ego and alter perceptions. It finds that young people’s selection of participatory strategies and power sources is shaped by the level of agency which they perceive to be available to them. When self-perception of agency is high, young participants offer constructive policy amendments which can lead to recognition and agency, though only within certain policy areas and the silos in which they are negotiated. When self-perception of agency is low, youth interpret this as lack of recognition, leading to efforts to assert their relevance and/or to challenge procedural legitimacy: neither of which are well received by decision-makers. In reality, several of the challenges faced by young participants are not structurally unique to their constituency; however, their lack of financial resources does hinder their ability to fully utilize modes of participation which previous studies have found to be beneficial to other NSAs, such as side-events. Financial constraints also restrict the ability of youth participants, many of whom are volunteers, to develop professional relationships with key actors over time, meaning that the level of agency developed by more established, better-resourced NSAs remains largely out of reach. These findings have implications for the understanding of NSA agency, which has previously been treated as homogeneous and raises further questions regarding procedural legitimacy of the UNFCCC and its role in mobilizing and empowering the next generation.     

Twenty-Five Years of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Achievements and Challenges

Netherlands International Law Review - The 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in November 2014 is an appropriate occasion for reviewing its record of achievements and...     

Transit Industry Gears Up and Responds to Climate Change Challenges

The transit industry in the United States is preparing for growth as the world deals with climate change and it is applying various methods to measure and monitor its impact on the environment. Working with local, state, and federal governments, transit agencies have adapted many commonsense solutions. Now the American Public Transportation Association is putting together standards and best practices to encourage the industry and inform the public about the benefits of public transportation to the environment, helping our nation join the rest of the world. It is also developing and applying new transit strategies that will attract more riders and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Portland, Oregon's Tri-Met, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Utah Transit Authority are leading the industry. Portland, Oregon's Tri-Met General Manager, who chairs the industry's Sustainability Committee for the American Public Transit Association has been leading by example with an Environmental Management System that addresses greenhouse gas, pollution, waste, inefficiency, and congestion. New York and Utah are recording greenhouse gases with the Climate Registry. Many agencies are developing new strategies that are attracting more riders and experiencing an intermodal shift to buses and trains. Meanwhile, developing countries are able to increase service and pay for it by selling carbon credits.     

实力变迁、法律传统与美欧印中贸易政策的演进

国际经济格局的深刻变化引发了美欧印中等主要贸易体贸易政策的变化.这种变化主要体现为其外贸法、外资法和出口管制法的修改,而国际习惯法和国际经济条约对这种修改的约束有限.美欧印中的代表性国际经济法理论分别为"制度管理说"、"规范承诺说"、"贸易民主论"和"责任共担论",这些理论反映了各贸易体的国际经济法传统和理念.以这些理...     

气候变化的国际法发展:从温室效应理论到《联合国气候变化框架公约》

本文考察了温室效应理论对缔结《联合国气候变化框架公约》的决定性影响 ,并对《联合国气候变化框架公约》的基本法律原则 (规则 )及其对国际环境立法的贡献进行了述评。     

美国社会学毕业生的变化与就业状况

在过去的一个世纪,美国社会学专业的学生随着美国社会快速的现代化和城市化而迅速增长,也随着美国社会的剧烈波动而出现大起大落的变化。近年来,社会学者在美国的就业面广阔但竞争日益激烈。随着社会研究资助的减少和就业的困难,美国社会学专业的设置更加注重实用,专业课程设置更加注重实用性。在就业方面,21世纪社会学专业的学生必须具有全球化的视野,实用的知识与技能,以及极强的适应于快速变化的就业市场的能力。从美国社会学毕业生的变化与就业发展状况,中国社会学教育应充分吸收其优点,力避其不足。