2010 W&M INTERNATIONAL LAW SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM

"From 'Might Makes Right' to 'Smart Power': 
The Shift in the U.S. National Security Strategy and its Global Implications for the Rule of Law" 

 
(ILLUSTRATION BY RAFFI ANDERIAN/TORONTO STAR)

The International Law Society, Multicultural Law Students Association, the Human Security Law Program, and the Post-Conflict Justice Program hosted a symposium on October 16, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Lunch and refreshments were catered. 

Read the William and Mary Flat Hat article about it: http://flathatnews.com/content/74274 

*** The video of the keynote address by Major General Charles Dunlap is available here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7A5G3EBP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 During her confirmation hearing in 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified “I believe that American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted.  We must use what has been called smart power: the full range of tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural — picking the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy.”  Some schools of thought stress the importance of smart power, a combination of military and nonmilitary tools, as an effective and necessary approach to address instability, extremism and terrorism around the globe – which they suggest, ultimately makes us more secure at home.

President Obama’s 2010 National Security Strategy, unveiled by Secretary Clinton in late May, reflects this proposition. It states that in dealing with nations that are at-risk of conflict or engaged in conflict, the Administration will not only “undertake long-term, sustained efforts to strengthen the capacity of security forces to guarantee internal security” but will also promote “respect for human rights and the rule of law” and “effectiveness of criminal justice.” The recent creation of the Office for Rule of Law and International Humanitarian Policy within the Department of Defense was one clear sign that this new strategy is being implemented.

Of course, some questions naturally arise. How will the Administration actually strengthen respect for human rights and the rule of law? How will it harmonize the efforts of such distinct entities as the Department of Defense and the Department of State – each having diverse perspectives, distinct cultures and motives - to pursue this new agenda? How will the strategy’s focus on promoting other legal principles such as due process, equal protection of the law, judicial independence, and access to justice? What can be said about the argument that the United States is simply militarizing its diplomacy and continuing to police the world? Will this new strategy actually make the United States more secure? Participating panelists will address these and many other questions.

AGENDA:

09:30-10:00    Coffee/Beverages

10:00-11:30    Panel 1 (Emerging National Security Threats)

Moderator: Mark E. Newcomb, W&M Adjunct Professor of Law, National Security Law and Terrorism and the Law

Panelist 1: Peter Belk, adjunct faculty at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and former special assistant to Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research

Panelist 2: Neal Pollard, adjunct faculty at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute with over 15 years of experience researching the threat of terrorism

11:30-11:40   Break

11:40-1:10pm Panel 2 (Civil Society Perspective and Future Security Threats)

Moderator: Steven Perles, senior attorney and founder of the Perles Law Firm, P.C. and W&M alumni

Panelist 1: Michael Maya, Deputy Director, American Bar Association, Rule of Law Initiative

Panelist 2: Colonel Ross Woodley, US Air Force; Director, Washington Operations, US Joint Forces Command

1:10-1:30pm   Lunch

1:30-2:30pm   Keynote Address

Moderator: Linda Malone, W&M Marshall-Wythe Foundation Professor of Law and Director, Human Security Law Program

Keynote Speaker: Major General Charles J. Dunlap Jr., former deputy judge advocate general of the United States Air Force and current Associate Director, Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke Law

2:30-2:40pm   Break

2:40-4:10pm   Panel 3 (Implementing Smart Power Strategies at DOS and DOD)

Moderator: Tom Perham, former Chief Counsel for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and former Chief of International and Operations Law for the U.S. Army Japan

Panelist 1: Scott Carlson, Senior Justice Advisor, Office of Criminal Justice Assistance and Partnership in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), U.S. Department of State

Panelist 2: Charles J. Brown, Senior Fellow and Director, Rule of Law and International Humanitarian Policy, in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense

4:10-4:20pm   Closing Remarks

4:20-5:00pm   Reception