UC Davis Journal of International Law and Policy

Both students and experts of international law are familiar with the claim that “international law isn’t real.” Although critics advance this claim through a variety of arguments, one of the most influential is that international law lacks effective enforcement mechanisms. 

Last October, I attended my first international law conference in New York as a second-year law student. A sense of crisis was felt everywhere. Some shared a grim outlook of international law. Yet it did not dissuade my budding interest in this field. Rather, it pushed me to think about its demanding questions. One of them was: what "new" role is the International Court of Justice (ICJ) taking at this difficult time? 

Many Arab countries are part of the World Trade Organization’s agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (“TRIPS”) and countries such as Jordan and Kuwait have enacted facially strong intellectual property (“IP”) laws.[1] Yet, individuals visiting the region are likely to encounter several common types of IP infringement.

In the wake of scandals like Cambridge Analytica and the 2016 presidential election interference, many have deemed “Big Tech” too powerful.[1] But U.S. policymakers are yet to implement comprehensive regulations—perhaps because major issues range from anticompetitive behavior to disinformation. Thus, some suggest looking to our European counterparts for help.

Hijab colloquially refers to a veil covering the head.[1] The word niqab refers to a veil covering the lower half of the face. In normative fiqh, or Islamic jurisprudence, covering the head and hair is obligatory, with a difference of opinion on whether covering the face is necessary.[2] In 2010, France passed a law, Act No.

China adopted a market economy in 1979, pulling nearly 800 million people out of poverty.[1] As growth slowed, China turned to new policies to nurture its fledgling socialist market economy.[2] In 2007, China adopted the Anti-Monopoly Law (“AML”), sparking international debate.[3] Rather than trying to position itself as a superior alternative to the U.S., China’s reasoning behind adopting AML reveals that it wants to protect its survival above all.

In August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, claiming the capitol after President Ashraf Ghani left the country.[1] Among the changes that resulted from the shift in power was a difference in the country’s rules regulating journalism and journalists.

Artificial intelligence (“AI”) has made it possible to achieve wonderful things, such as the completion of symphonies[1] or their movements.[2] However, the United States (“U.S.”) is leaving important AI-generated artwork unprotected under its current Copyright regime.[3] This frustrates the goals of Copyright Law, which aim to incentivize creativity and promote societal development through the protection of creative works.[4] Thus, the U.S.

The impacts of climate change are continuing to worsen, and in the Caribbean and Latin America, Haiti is the country most vulnerable to those impacts.[1] When states are already fragile from political and economic turmoil, environmental disasters and long-term climatic change further stress those systems, leading, at the extreme, to international displacement and migration.

As fundamentalism and extremism rears its ugly head, our communities are subject to greater danger. Instead of expressing their opinions peacefully via a civic debate, these radical groups subject innocent people to the worst forms of terror. One of those forms involves attacks on cultural treasures and historical sites.

In 2011, the Knights Templar rose to be one of the strongest cartels in Mexico. Situated in Michoacán, one of Mexico’s western states, the Knights Templar maintained its power thanks to strongman Servando Gomez.

Due to advances in technology that allow for gestational surrogacy[1] and greater acceptance in public opinion, global surrogacy has achieved an unprecedented popularity.[2] Consequently, medical tourism, where consumers of health care travel around the world to receive cheaper medical care, now includes reproductive to

Russia lost an estimated $120 billion due to international sanctions in 2014.[1] This is half of their budget.[2] Perhaps even worse with the oil crisis, Russia is effectively barred from international finance.

As of February 25, 2015, Austria passed a reform to their country’s 1912 Islam Law.[1] The original 1912 version made Islam an official religion of Austria and guaranteed Muslims “wide-ranging rights, including religious education in state schools.”[2] While most agreed that updates were necessary, Muslim leaders have said that the specific refo

We may have lost the battle but we have not lost the war. This adage seems to resonate with secessionists worldwide. One would assume that Scotland’s decision to remain under the territorial sovereignty of the UK would demobilize secessionists elsewhere. Yet, the people of Catalonia remain as invigorated as ever. Catalonia’s President Artur Mas has signed a decree calling for a referendum on independence.