Courses

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Fall 2023 Semester

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ILO-L222 Selected Issues in Law of the Sea

Professor Photini Pazartzis 

This course explores current issues implicating the Law of the Sea (and in particular the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea and related treaties). It explores the interaction of an international legal regime with the challenges posed by geography, climate change, history, military rivalry, trade and politics, and in turn how an international legal regime can itself influence the course of national conduct, whether through negotiation, adjudication or “lawfare”. We will explore the ongoing tension between freedom of the seas and sovereign rights and regulation, in contexts ranging from current political-military rivalries and criminal conduct at sea to the exploitation and management of marine resources and preservation of the ocean environment. We will also discuss how the ambivalent attitudes of leading military and commercial powers affect the rule of law in the oceanic context. The course uses current challenges in the South China Sea and the Arctic as a vehicle for consideration of certain of these topics.

 

Spring 2023 Semester

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ILO-L246 Reparation in International Law

Professor Photini Pazartzis 

Offers a critical reflection on the evolution of the legal regime applicable to repairing wrongs under international law. It will look at the codification of the principle of reparation and its forms by the International Law Commission in its Articles on State Responsibility for Internationally Wrongful Acts, and then at reparation(s) in practice, including novel forms of reparation outside the traditional framework codified by the International Law Commission. We will examine the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals and the practice of other international bodies in interpreting and applying the principles and standards of reparation across the spectrum of international law, international investment law, international human rights law, international criminal law. At the end of the course, students are expected to develop an understanding of the international legal frameworks governing reparation for violations of international law, and strengthen their skills in legal analysis, interpretation and argument. In addition, students will develop critical skills, identifying areas of debate reflected in international jurisprudence and practice within the broader context of law, policy and interdisciplinary considerations.

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Fall 2021 Semester

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DHP-D284 Europe in the Changing World Order

Professor Constantine Arvanitopoulos

In the 21st century, Europe finds itself between an introvert America, a resurgent Russia and a rising China. This course will analyze European perceptions of Trump’s “America First” doctrine and its impact on policy changes in Europe. In this context, we will examine trade issues and policies as well as changes in the European dependence on the Atlantic security structure. PESCO, the European Defense Fund, and the European Army proposals will be discussed. On the other hand, we will discuss the security challenges posed by a resurgent and revisionist Russia. The new Russian assertiveness, as evidenced in Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans, and Syria in the Middle East, as well as its interference in the domestic politics of Western democracies will be examined. Finally, we will analyze the security and trade challenges emanating from China’s rise to global power status. 

 

Spring 2022 Semester

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DHP-D286 From Authoritarian Regimes to Illiberal Democracies

Professor Constantine Arvanitopoulos

This is a course on the “reverse waves” to democratic rule. In 1922,  Mussolini’s coming to power marked the rise of fascism in Italy. With Hitler’s Nazism, this first “reverse wave” of authoritarianism had substantially reduced the number of democratic states by late thirties, and thrown the world into a catastrophic war. The triumph of the Allies in WWII, and the consequent expansion of democratic rule were followed by a second “reverse wave” in the Soviet space, and dictatorships in Latin America, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. The triumph of liberal democracies in the Cold War is now threatened by a third “reverse wave” with the rise of illiberal democracies and the resuscitation of authoritarianism. This course will offer a broad taxonomy of authoritarian regimes in different times, and will analyze the causes of this recurring phenomenon.  

DHP-D285 The Global Rise of Populism: Europe and Beyond

Professor Constantine Arvanitopoulos

Populist parties are on the rise in Europe. From SYRIZA in Greece, Podemos in Spain, and the Five Star Movement in Italy, to Brexit and the entry of AFD to the German Parliament, Orban in Hungary and Lepen in France, the increasing electoral support of populist parties is undoing the European political landscape. The objective of this course is to analyze the phenomenon of populism. To provide definitions of populism, and examine current populist forces in Europe and their characteristics. It will also examine the ambivalent relationship between populism and democracies and assess national and international responses to the rise of populism.