This book provides an illuminating perspective on how lawyers operate in a society anxious to embrace democracy in this era of hope and optimism, yet still crippled by past attitudes, weak and ineffectual institutions, corruption, and the recrudescence of primordial ethnic sentiments, using Nigeria as a case study. The book compares and contrasts the central issues faced by lawyers all over the African continent, since the social pathologies that disfigure Nigeria are prevalent in most African nations. Despite these problems, the democratic impulse remains strong in the continent of Africa. Nearly all African countries put their faith in constitutional democracy despite its debasement by the political elites; increasingly they depend on law to help promote social equilibrium and secure constitutional democracy.
In this book, an expanded version of The Oliver Wendell Holmes Lectures he delivered at Harvard University in 1966, Mr. Gower first looks at some of the legacies of colonialism inherited by those nations of Tropical Africa which recently gained independence from Britain.
This book critically analyses diverse international criminal law (ICL) issues in light of recent developments in the international criminal justice system following the pursuit of accountability in Africa and around the world. It gives a scholarly analysis of issues pertaining to ICL and the pursuit of accountability in Africa by way of several topics including universal jurisdiction in Africa, Boko Haram in Nigeria, the legitimacy of the ICTR, the law of genocide committed against the Herero and Nama peoples, the African perspective on international co-operation in criminal matters, the Malabo Protocol, and whether an African Regional Court is a viable alternative to the ICC. Further discussed are other aspects of ICL, such as prosecuting sexual and gender-based crimes at the ICC, sexual and gender-based crimes perpetrated against men, guilty pleas within ICL and slavery within international criminal justice. With this, the book also refers to the jurisprudence of several international courts and tribunals including the ICTR, the ICTY, the SCSL, the ICC, the ECCC, the KSC, and the STL. This timely contributed volume updates international criminal law experts, practitioners, academics, human rights activists and other stakeholders on contemporary developments in ICL and provides recommendations that address accountability for mass atrocity crimes and ideas for strategic ICL litigation at the national, international, regional and sub-regional levels. It will prompt constructive exchanges on what can be improved in prosecuting mass atrocity crimes around the world. Takeh B.K. Sendze is an Advocate and Legal Officer with the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in Arusha, Tanzania. Adesola Adeboyejo is a Trial Lawyer at the International Criminal Court. Sir Howard Morrison QC is a former International Judge and an Associate Tenant at Doughty Street Chambers in London, United Kingdom. Sophia Ugwu is a Solicitor and Advocate who founded the Centre for African Justice, Peace and Human Rights in The Hague, The Netherlands.
This work analyzes the management of shared fish stocks; protection of the underwater cultural heritage; the possibilities of establishing marine protected areas and other means for safeguarding vulnerable marine ecosystems; the use of the high seas for intelligence as well as recent developments on interdiction of vessels on the high seas. Special emphasis is paid to the role of international courts and tribunals in the progressive development of the law of the sea as well as the ability of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to accommodate new uses and challenges, such as new concerns, new technological possibilities, in particular, new contexts and functions of established rules. The 1982 Convention seems capable of coping with most of them, although it remains useful to explore its possibilities and limits. This work, covering many aspects, will be useful to anyone interested in the law of the sea.
Criminology assumes the position of an established discipline, yet its influence is limited by its primary focus on the West for both theoretical and empirical substance. But the growing interest in comparative criminology now means that countries compare notes, thereby broadening the parameters of criminology. Still relatively ignored in the literature, however, are issues of crime and justice as they affect people of African descent around the globe. Drawing upon materials from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America, and Europe, this stimulating book reflects on the experiences of people of African descent to offer a convergence of criminologies in and outside the West. Simultaneously, it acknowledges Western criminology as a significant angle from which to comprehend crime and justice as they are conceptualized outside the West. The volume also investigates whether Western criminological accounts are relevant to the comprehension of crime, criminality and systems of justice in Africa, the Caribbean and South America.
This book provides an innovative outlook of the various challenges of international law in the Asian region. Moving away from the Eurocentrism prevalent in the literature on the subject, it provides a comprehensive Asian perspective without adopting a monolithic or homogeneous Asian approach. Although Asian countries converge on certain issues related to international law, such as engagement with the United Nations, at times, there is a significant divergence, such as in the case of agricultural trade liberalisation. Given the vastness of the region and the differing political systems, there are many discrepancies to consider. The book takes into account the viewpoint of civil society so as to avoid a vertical state‐centred approach. Offering an easy-to-understand presentation of key issues concerning the region, this book is a useful introduction to this complex topic for students, academics and practitioners of international law.
The essays in this book, authored by academics from the Faculties of Law at the University of Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela University respectively, emanate from a joint research project and conference arranged by the Faculties in 2018. The essays focus on public law issues impacting on governance and accountability in South African law and in international and regional law, but with a specific focus on problems afflicting the African continent.
The book explores the broad range of legal, personal, social, political and historical foundations of international law. The book is a collective effort of qualified authors- law school deans and professors, national and international court judges, young and old international law scholars and government lawyers from varying legal cultures across the oceans of the world, representing diverse legal philosophical and corresponding practices bringing their stories to life, telling tales helpful for those well-acquainted with the issues. Although one book of Liber Amicorum cannot address all the important issues in the vast arena of international law, these essays provide a rich and lucid understanding of issues of modern public international and comparative law. The beauty of the book lies in the fact that the issues discussed in the compendium by the diverse authors though familiar to comparatists, are given perspectives different from the usual Euro-American centrist standpoint that dominated the current writings in international law. The collected essays will be found most useful as an informative tool in the discovery of progressive development of international law as well as in the study of comparative legal systems. *** The legal essays contained in this treatise on various important issues of public international and comparative law are interesting, well researched, and written from multi-disciplinary perspectives by very well-qualified legal scholars from different backgrounds and cultures of the world. All the authors are exceptionally knowledgeable and experts in their chosen fields. It is strongly urged that people should read these essays in order to fully appreciate the contributions of international legal scholars to world peace, international development, understanding and progress. Nothing can be more befitting in honoring Professor Dr. Christian Nwachukwu Okeke for his enormous contributions to the positive development of the legal academy nationally and internationally. Professor Dr. Emmanuel Omoh Esiemokhai Ph.D., Academic Chancellor, Bosas International Law Bureau, Abuja, Nigeria Chima Nweze's Contemporary Issues on Public International and Comparative Law: Essays in Honor of Professor Christian Nwachukwu Okeke, is a magisterial work of enormous scope and depth that brings together a diverse group of internationally distinguished authors from academia, government and private practice. The Liber Amicorum is impressive both in range of subject matter and quality of analysis and merits the attention of scholars and global policy makers. Ndiva Kofele Kale, Ph.D., J.D., Professor of Law, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, Dallas, Texas Professor C.N. Okeke is a very fine scholar in international law. He has taught the subject in Universities in Africa, Europe and the United States. In all these continents, he has made tremendous impact on students of the subject. I regard the essays as a useful epilogue to his successful career as a teacher and researcher of international law. I heartily recommend the essays to all that are interested in the study of international law. I have no doubt in my mind that the essays will provide a useful addition to the growing literature in international law. I commend the contributors for a worthy compendium.
Agricultural Law in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cases and Comments introduces the subject of agricultural law and economics to researchers, practitioners, and students in common law countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and presents information from the legal system in Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The law and economics approach entails the use of quantitative methods in research. This is consistent with the expectations in an applied economics field such as agricultural economics. Covering the general traditional law topics in contracts, torts, and property, the book goes further to introduce cutting-edge and region-relevant topics, including contracts with illiterate parties, contract farming, climate change, and transboundary water issues. The book is supported by an extensive list of reference materials, as well as study and enrichment exercises, to deepen readers' understanding of the principles discussed in the book. It is a learning tool, first and foremost, and can be used as a stand-alone resource to teach the subject matter of agricultural law and economics to professionals new to the subject area as well as to students in law school, agricultural economics, economics, and inter-disciplinary classes. - Offers research findings on such topics as food safety, climate change, transboundary natural resources, international sale of goods, patents, and trademarks to highlight the future sources of pressure on the agriculture industry - Uses case-studies to provide real-world insights into the challenges and considerations of appropriate agricultural law development - Challenges readers to carry out their own research in their areas of study, and to gain some understanding of the relationship between law, economics, and statistics - Includes extensive resources, such as chapter summaries, study questions, and challenge questions at the end of each chapter to assist instructors and students in gaining full benefits from using the book - Provides separate instructor and student study guides, a test bank, and test bank answers, in hardcopy and electronic formats
