RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL LAW EXPERT TO SPEAK AT UGA LAW SCHOOL

Abstract

Friday, February 23, 2001

WRITER: Kathy R. Pharr, (706) 542-5172, pharr@arches.uga.edu

CONTACT: Rusk Center Associate Director Dorinda Dallmeyer, (706) 542-5141

RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL LAW EXPERT TO SPEAK AT UGA LAW SCHOOL

ATHENS, Ga. - Commentators have widely speculated that President George W. Bush will be more reluctant than his predecessor to involve U.S. troops in international peacekeeping missions and that a major policy shift is on the way. Democratic accountability in a variety of such international military efforts will be examined by Charlotte Ku, executive vice president and executive director of the American Society of International Law, in a lecture at the University of Georgia School of Law on Tuesday, February 27. The lecture, sponsored by the Dean Rusk Center -- International, Comparative and Graduate Legal Studies, will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Room K of Dean Rusk Hall. Ku's speech and the reception which follows are open and free to the public.

Ku researched her topic, "Democratic Accountability and International Institutions: Using Military Force," for a scholarly paper she recently coauthored. The publication considers several recent missions, including NATO's Operation Allied Force in Kosovo in 1999. "Is authorization by the UN Security Council essential for general acceptance of the legitimacy of the use of military forces?," Ku wrote. "Can the authorization of a body like the North Atlantic Council be sufficient for those taking part in the operation? How about for non-NATO members? When do national legislative bodies of countries have to take specific action to authorize participation of their country's military forces in international operations? To whom are military commanders responsible? Practice in these areas has outpaced scholarly analysis and understanding of the issues raised."

The American Society of International Law (ASIL) is one of the world's leading associations in international law with a membership of more than 4,300 professors, practitioners, civil servants and students from over 100 countries. As executive vice president and executive director, Ku oversees all ASIL operations, including project development and fund raising.

Prior to joining the staff of ASIL, Ku taught at the University of Virginia and at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center of the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. She has also worked on the legislative staff of the U.S. Senate and on the research staff of a foundation consortium in northern California. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and past chair of the board of directors of the Academic Council on the United Nations System. Ku's research interests are in international law and institutions and in fostering opportunities for interdisciplinary work in international law and international relations.

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