International Law

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes international lawyer Philippe Sands for a discussion of Bush administration policies regarding international law. Sands analyzes the evolution of international law from the Atlantic Charter to the present drawing on research in his two books, "Lawless World," and "Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values." He concludes that war crimes may have been committed after 911 and that key players in the administration are subject to charges not only in the court of world opinion but also in tribunals invoking universal...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor John Yoo of UC Berkeley for a discussion of Presidential war powers. Professor Yoo analyzes the situation confronting the United States after the 911 attack and explains the development of the legal justifications for the Bush'administration's response. Topics addressed include the memorandum on torture, the interface between law and politics, secrecy and democracy, and the Bush legacy.

http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people8/Yoo/...

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yale Law School Professor John Fabian Witt for a discussion of the craft of legal history. Topics covered include: understanding context in legal narratives; nationalism and cosmopolitanism in the evolution of civil liberties and tort law; and the importance of slavery, emancipation, and the established laws of nations in the making of Lincoln’s Code, a revolutionary change in U.S. laws of war. The conversation concludes with thoughts on how legal history could inform a discussion of the sharing economy’s impact on the law.

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes New Yorker writer Jane Mayer for a discussion of her new book, The Dark Side. She explains how, under the direction of Vice President Cheney and his Assistant David Addington,the Bush administration, contrary to American history and tradition, implemented a policy of torture and rendition in violation of U.S. and international law. She describes the resistence within the government and the military to these actions. Mayer also offers a compelling account of what happened to detainees under the Cheney/Addington regime. She also analyzes the long...