China’s ‘New Silk Roads’: sub-national regions and networks of global political economy

This paper argues that the Chinese government’s ‘belt and road’ initiative – the Silk Roads vision of land and maritime logistics and communications networks connecting Asia, Europe and Africa – has its roots in sub-national ideas and practices, and that it reflects their elevation to the national level more than the creation of substantially new policy content. Further, the spatial paradigms inherent in the Silk Roads vision reveal the reproduction of capitalist developmental ideas expressed particularly in the form of networks, which themselves have become a feature of contemporary global political economy. In other words, the Silk Roads vision is more of a ‘spatial fix’ than a geopolitical manoeuvre.     

Regulation of armed conflict: critical comparativism

Abstract

This paper calls for comparative analysis of international humanitarian law and Islamic laws regulating armed conflict by focusing on the underlying assumptions and interests informing both systems (rather than on rule-based comparison). It argues that examination of the biases inherent to each legal system can potentially inform scholars to understand better the paradigms shaping each of them. In doing so, the paper builds on contextual and critical interpretations of both fields of law to assert the need for ‘critical comparativism’ rather than functionalist comparativism. Unlike functionalist comparativism, which treats international law as the ‘objective’ benchmark against which other legal traditions are measured, ‘critical comparativism’ treats the two legal systems examined as alternative manifestations of power structures which, when contrasted against each other, help shed more light on the inherent bias in each legal system.     

Paving the way for farm animal welfare in international relations: an EU–Brazil case study

As a sensitive area in international trade, animal welfare measures have encountered resistance in negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Consequently, alternative avenues have been pursued to reach international trade policy convergence. To further understand the contemporary trade politics of animal welfare, an empirical investigation was conducted on the interplay between European and Brazilian actors in the context of livestock production. By drawing upon diplomatic studies and the global governance literature, this study identifies and analyses initiatives that parallel the WTO approach and through which the development and implementation of mutually acceptable farm animal welfare measures have been pursued. Research findings indicate that a constellation of international non-diplomatic actors are currently engaged in influencing the future development of farm animal welfare measures. Among the initiatives that enable the alignment of European and Brazilian animal welfare policies and practices, there are soft instruments such as knowledge sharing and private standards. The rise of new actors and the use of soft instruments have been, to a certain extent, able to mitigate the tardiness of a WTO consensus regarding the use of animal welfare measures. However, there are concerns that the use of private standards has become a shortcut to circumvent the rigours of the multilateral trading system. This concern deserves a closer look because instead of paving the way, private standards may hamper trade relations which in turn hamper progress in animal welfare matters.     

希伯来法中商业交易规范考辨

希伯来法是西方法律文明和英美法的源头之一,具有很高的研究价值.希伯来的商业交易规范是以《圣经》为法律渊源,源自习惯法则和宗教信仰,由此倡导契约守信观念和诚实无欺的贸易规则.从摩西时期的《圣经·旧约》到犹太教法典编纂时期的《塔木德》,商业交易规范形成与发展折射出希伯来商法的演变历程,也从一个侧面反映了西方商法成长的最初概貌,因此对其做一细致的考证,在外国法律史研究上颇有补正的功效.     

关于商法学中商主体概念的探讨

商主体,作为概念,是我国商法学理论中最重要的基础概念之一;作为经济实体,是我国经济活动中主要的参与者和被管理对象.但是,在目前的商法学的权威教材中,不仅对商主体概念内涵的揭示是含混、相互矛盾的,甚至是自相矛盾的,而且对商主体与相关概念的区别也缺乏认真研究,从而导致理论学习和阐述上的混乱.虽然,统一的定义,在科学研究中几乎是不可能的,甚至对科学研究没有益处,但应该承认这种认识上的混乱在相当程度上影响了商法学理论的发展和商法学理论对我国商事立法和经济管理活动的贡献程度.通过介绍、分析,比较我国商法学理论界对商主体、商人、企业和民事主体的概念的不同观点,并结合世界主要商法典的相关规定以及相关经济学理论,阐述了对商法学中商主体与相关主体之间的区分的认识,并最终归纳出商主体的概念.     

中世纪商人法继受罗马法探因

中世纪商人法的出现是中世纪城市经济发展的产物,而罗马商法则是古罗马高度繁荣的奴隶制经济发展的必然结果.由于商品经济发展的相似性、地理位置的接近、帝国永续理论的巨大威力以及罗马法学的繁荣等原因,中世纪的商人法明显地体现出对罗马商法的继受.分析中世纪商人法对古罗马商法继受的原因,从中可以看到法律发展过程中的相承关系.     

刑事诉讼中被害人的诉讼权利保护

随着法制观念的深入人心和人权思想的发展,刑事诉讼中的人权保障备受各方关注,被害人作为刑事诉讼中的当事人,与犯罪嫌疑人、被告人有平等的诉讼地位,也应当享有相同的诉讼权利。但在我国《刑事诉讼法》中,被害人的诉讼权利受到限制并缺乏保障。应从立法上完善被害人的诉讼权利,建立被害人诉讼权利保护机制,以保护被害人的合法权利。     

刑事公益诉讼的价值分析与制度构建

刑事公益诉讼是不同于刑事公诉、自诉的一种独立的诉讼形式,在诉讼目的、提起主体、提起方式等方面都有其独特之处.刑事公益诉讼制度的建立在制度层面能够更新刑事诉讼民主理念、充实刑事诉讼法社会本位理念,在制度层面能够创生新的刑事诉讼起诉方式、创设监督国家公诉机关的新途径.从受案范围、提起公益诉讼的主体、方式、条件、管辖与审理程序、举证责任分配以及激约机制等方面探讨了我国刑事公益诉讼制度的建构问题.     

民事诉讼构造的美学分析

民事诉讼构造理论--作为民事诉讼法学的一个非常重要的范畴,是民事诉讼的基本框架,反映了民事诉讼中原告、被告、审判方的不同地位以及国家权力与个人权利之间的关系,决定了整个民事诉讼的基本运行态势.以美学为研究角度,更深入地探讨民事诉讼构造理论,发挥美学对法学的解释力.     

"废统论"可以休矣

台湾当局在历史上从未要求独立建国,而坚持主张其是中国的合法代表,因此并不存在"国家承认"问题.即使台湾当局宣布"废统",也由于不符合国际法的要求而无法有效建立新国家.历史和现实都表明,台湾地区因不具备国际上曾经发生的国家分离实践的客观条件而不可能真正从祖国分离出去.台湾地区和大陆的和平统一既是两岸人民的意愿,也符合国际法的要求.