Announcements: EJIL:Live!; Research Fellowship in Oxford; Syria Conference in Manchester; Calls for Papers: Nordic Approach to International Law, New Voices at ASIL Annual Meeting; Human Rights Essay Competition

1.  The Oxford Martin Programme on Human Rights for Future Generations invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in the area of Law and Armed Conflict. This is a fixed-term appointment until 31 March 2016, commencing as soon as possible. The postholder will be based at Pembroke College, Oxford. The Oxford Martin Programme on Human Rights for Future Generations  a research programme in the University of Oxford, which focuses on the question of whether human rights constitutes an appropriate framework for confronting some of the most serious problems facing current and future generations. Within this shared framework the research programme focuses on three of the most urgent aspects of insecurity; armed conflict, poverty and environmental change. The successful applicant will be required to conduct research on the themes above as directed by the Programme Co-Directors (which includes Dapo Akande) and to work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Applicants will be expected to write papers and articles linked to the programme’s area of focus, for publication in books, peer-reviewed journals and/or edited books. The deadline for completed applications is 13 October 2014. Further details are available here.

2. In case you missed it: Episodes 1 and 2 of EJIL:Live! are available online. Episode 1 presents both video and (edited) audio versions of a “Fireside Chat” between the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, Joseph H. H. Weiler, and Maria Aristodemou, whose article “A Constant Craving for Fresh Brains and a Taste for Decaffeinated Neighbours”, appears in EJIL 25:1 (2014). The audio podcast also features a conversation with EJIL’s Book Review Editor, Isabel Feichtner; and a discussion with the Editors of EJIL: Talk!, Dapo Akande and Marko Milanovic, on the recent decision of the International Court of Justice in Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening), the crisis in Crimea, and much more. Episode 2 features an extended “Fireside Chat” between the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, Professor Joseph Weiler, and Oliver Diggelmann (University of Zurich) and Tilmann Altwicker (University of Basel), whose article “How is Progress Constructed in International Legal Scholarship?”, appears in Vol. 25, Issue 2 of EJIL.

3.  The Rethink Rebuild Society in Manchester will hold a conference on 17 October: ‘Syrian Conflict in Regional Crises: Complications, Implications, and the Way Forward’. This conference represents a critical forum through which policy makers, NGOs, academics and activists can together identify and discuss the most appropriate British domestic and international policy towards Syria in light of current research and developments on the ground, specifically the emergence of IS (formerly ISIS) and the impact that this will have on British domestic and international policy, as well as action by the international community. Conference speakers include Dr. Christopher Phillips (Queen Mary, University of London), Dr. James Pattison (University of Manchester), Asim Qureshi (Research Director of CAGE Prisoners), Anas Al Abdah (Syrian National Coalition), and Raffaello Pantucci (Royal United Services Institute). The conference deliberations will focus on the following themes:

·  The situation in Syria: misconceptions vs. realities

·  The emergence of IS (formerly ISIS): British jihadists, media coverage, and national policy

·  Where is Syria heading? Decoding the future of Syria and the region

·  Is British policy on the right track?

·  The role of the international community

Further conference information and registration can be found at the conference website.

4.  Call for Papers: A Nordic Approach to International Law? The Centre for International Law and Justice, University of Copenhagen, will host a two-day conference on 27 to 29 August in Oslo, Norway, where international legal scholars will join expert practitioners to discuss contemporary issues of international lawfrom a Nordic perspective. Call for papers is available here. Questions can be directed to astrid.kjeldgaard-pedersen {at} jur.ku(.)dk.

5.  2015 ASIL Annual Meeting Call for Papers – New Voices Sessions. From April 8-11, 2015, the American Society of International Law will convene its 109th Annual Meeting. The aim of the 2015 Annual Meeting is to promote a rigorous discussion on the question of how international law is “adapting to a rapidly changing world.” Next year, as in the past, the Planning Committee for the Annual Meeting would like to include at least one “New Voices” session that will provide a platform for junior scholars and practitioners to present their works-in-progress. ASIL invites submissions from non-tenured scholars and junior practitioners on any topic of international law.  Any authors who submitted a paper abstract in the first call for papers and session proposals do not need to submit again; those abstracts remain under consideration. Abstracts should be well developed and reflect advanced progress on a paper that will be presented at the Meeting.  Final papers will be due by March 30, 2015. Send your abstract to asilannualmeeting {at} asil(.)org by no later than Thursday, October 30, 2014, with the subject line “New Voices Proposal.”  Please send the abstract as a Microsoft Word attachment, including your name and contact information (email address & affiliation).  Abstracts should be no longer than 1000 words. Selected authors will be notified by the end of November. Please direct any questions to the co-chairs of the ASIL New Professionals Interest Group at asilnpig {at} gmail(.)com.

6.  Call for Submissions. Are you interested in attending an all-expense paid 3 week summer program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law taught by over 40 world-renowned practitioners and academics at American University Washington College of Law? Well, now is your chance! Submit an essay to the Human Rights Essay Award Competition and you could be the lucky winner to receive a scholarship to attend the 2015 Program of Advanced Studies in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. This year’s topic is “Transitional Justice, International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law” and the deadline to submit is February 1, 2015. Participants have the flexibility to choose any subject related to the assigned topic. The best articles may be published in the American University International Law Review. This annual competition sponsored by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly work in international human rights law. The Academy will grant two Awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. The Award in each case will consist of: a scholarship to the Academy’s Program of Advanced Studies, travel expenses to Washington D.C., housing at the university dorms and a per diem for living expenses. For detailed guidelines about the award please visit:www.wcl.american.edu/hracademy/hraward.cfm or contact us at: hracademy {at} wcl.american(.)edu