Event Report: “Meet with Authors Series” Session on
“The Peaceful Resolution of Territorial & Maritime Disputes”
Introduction:
The Roya Institute for Global Justice recently organized another event in its “Meet with Authors Series” on October 13 (International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction), conducted online. This series event aims to facilitate an engaging conversation with authors, and in some cases with translators of newly published books in fields of Roya Institute aims and activities.
Book and Its Co-authors:
“The Peaceful Resolution of Territorial & Maritime Disputes” is authored by Professor Emilia Justyna Powell, and Professor Krista Eileen Wiegandm, and published by Oxford University Press, on 9 June 2023.
Emilia is a professor of Political Science and Concurrent Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame. Krista is the Director of the Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs at the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs and a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tennessee.
Event Highlights:
Dr. Leyla Tajer, a member of the Roya Institute Advisory Board, and a scholar and researcher with a graduate degree in Islamic Studies and Comparative Religion, began the event with her welcome remarks. She also reminds attendees that 13th October is observed as International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. She expressed appreciation for the opportunity to discuss peaceful resolutions.
In her presentation, Professor Powell focused on the main question addressed in their book: “Why do states seek different peaceful resolution methods in territorial and maritime disputes?” She explained that the authors sought to answer this question by utilizing insights from previous research, quantitative analysis, in-depth interviews, and a case study on the Philippines v. China arbitration. The research theory proposed was that states aim to reduce uncertainty and increase the likelihood of winning.
Continuing the discussion, Professor Krista Eileen Wiegand elaborated on the Philippines V. China Annex VII Arbitration. 2013 Annex VII Arbitration Sought by Philippines against China Demonstrated Philippine Respect for Rules-Based. She highlighted that there were significant efforts by the Philippines legal team to ensure jurisdiction & probability of winning, all consistent with UNCLOS – even to the point of being willing to not make actual claims for maritime features in order for China to NOT claim maritime features as islands.
She concluded that the book would prove valuable for scholars, students, policymakers, and practitioners, as it established a nexus where international relations, politics, and international law intersect. She emphasized that international dispute resolution is a multi-tiered process involving political and legal decisions.
Then Professor Nuno Garoupa, Professor of Law, and Faculty Director of Graduate Studies at George Mason University-Antonin Scalia Law School, as the discussant, raised his ideas and asked questions related to peaceful resolutions of disputes and the aspect of economic advantages for states and how this factor can play a role in states’ strategies in the peaceful resolutions.
The authors’ explanations and then the attendees’ questions and the authors’ answers were the next part of the meeting. The closing remarks and thanks to the speakers and attendees, which were done by Dr. Tajer, were the end of the event.
The attendees were from diverse backgrounds and countries such as Uganda, Iran, India, Poland, and the USA.
