Gorbachev and the Soviet reform phenomenon: Do Cold War methods of analysis still apply?

honors thesisCollege of HumanitiesArea Studies: Russia and the Soviet UnionSlava LubomudrovPeter J. DiamondThe political behavior of the Soviet Union and its leaders has, in recent years, defied many long-held assumptions about that system and its capacity for change. It is now critical that Sovietologists examine not only the character of the information they receive, but also the methods used to evaluate that information. These methods consist of theories which filter information and, over time, tend to paint a certain picture of the Soviet Union. I would argue that some existing theories provide inadequate explanations for recent events. Many theories begin from assumptions about the nature of the Soviet system. Such theories may not allow for modification to account for information which is incompatible with the theory's general premises, but tend instead to make the information fit the model. In this way specialists are able to maintain the appearance of continuity in a theory, but at the expense of a full and coherent interpretation of all pertinent information

Uncertainty, Context, and the Duration of International Agreements

Why are some international agreements set up to operate indefinitely while others are of limited duration? This paper argues that "institutional context" — the existing legal and institutional environment in which states negotiate international agreements — is a significant determinant of states’ choices about the duration of international cooperation

International Law Colloquia, Spring 2008 Series

Spring 2008 Presenters: February 8: Beth Simmons (Harvard University Weatherhead Center for International Affairs), Theories of Commitment February 15: Nadia Bernaz (National University of Ireland at Galway), The Caribbean Court of Justice: One Court with Two Jurisdictions -- A Unique Judicial Institution? February 29: Tonya L. Putnam (Columbia University Department of Political Science), Beyond Presumption?: Explaining Extraterritorial Variation over Civil Claims March 17: Gregory Shaffer (Loyola University Chicago School of Law), A Structural Theory of WTO Dispute Settlement: Why Institutional Choice Lies at the Center of the GMO Case March 21: Paul Schiff Berman (University of Connecticut School of Law), Global Legal Pluralism March 28: Frédéric Mégret (University of McGill Faculty of Law), Civil Disobedience in Defense of International Law April 4: David Caron (University of California, Berkeley, School of Law), Towards a Political Theory of International Courts and Tribunals April 7: Ingrid Wuerth (Vanderbilt University School of Law), An Originalism for Foreign Affairs