It’s time again to help plan the Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law. The next one – the 109th annual, themed “Adapting to a Rapidly Changing World” – is set for April 8 to 11, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave, N.W., in Washington, D.C. Already hard at work are the Program Committee members, co-chaired by Professor Monica Hakimi of Michigan Law, Debevoise & Plimpton lawyer Natalie Reid, and Arnold & Porter lawyer Samuel Witten. Seeking session proposals, they write:

‘For better or worse, international law is confronting a period of profound change. Geopolitical developments—in particular, new assertions of economic, political, or military power by countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—have simultaneously aggravated latent territorial disputes and created the potential for unprecedented economic integration. Advances in technology have enabled cyber-conflicts and forged new tools for governmental coercion or control, while also facilitating the dissemination of information. Shared environmental challenges have presented new causes of human suffering or conflict, as well as new possibilities for global cooperation and assistance. And the increased role of non-state actors in international affairs has made more vocal the still unfulfilled demands on, for example, the universal recognition of the human rights of LGBT persons, the responsibilities associated with corporate conduct, and the protection of people from mass atrocities.’

Organizers seek session proposals answering a range of questions related to this theme. Examples:

► Are the existing international legal regimes capable of meeting these challenges or will new regimes be required?
► Through what processes can we expect international law to adapt, and how might new norms emerge in the face of persistent disagreements or holdout problems?
► How is the legal order responding as the world moves from a unipolar system dominated by the United States to a more multipolar system?
► What is the role or relevance of international law where it might be unable to resolve global issues?

The detailed call for submissions, which must filed online no later than June 27, 2014, is here.

Note too that paper submissions for the 4th  Annual ASIL Research Forum, subject of an earlier post, are due very soon: June 8, 2014.