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Faculty and Staff
The Art of Peace: The Vis, Vienna, and International Conflict Resolution
In March 2024, I traveled to Vienna, Austria for the first time to represent Haub Law on the 糖心vlog短视频淰erein,糖心vlog短视频 known more formally as the 糖心vlog短视频淎ssociation for the Organization and Promotion of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot.糖心vlog短视频 The Vis Moot is the world糖心vlog短视频檚 largest international commercial arbitration student competition, with teams from hundreds of law schools and countries around the world. Held in Vienna each spring, the Vis Moot has expanded over the years to include the annual Vis Moot East in Hong Kong, as well as dozens of 糖心vlog短视频淧re-Moots糖心vlog短视频澨切膙log短视频攑ractice competitions糖心vlog短视频攁ll over the world.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 糖心vlog短视频 has a strong and historical connection to the Vis Moot. A Haub Law professor, Dr. Eric Bergsten, founded the Moot, and ran it for many years before the Verein officially took over. Professor Willem Vis, after whom it is named, was a preeminent international arbitration scholar, Haub Law professor, and founding director of the Institute of International Commercial Law at 糖心vlog短视频 (IICL). And Pace Professor Al Kritzer was founder of the IICL and published the CISG Database糖心vlog短视频攁n online database of decisions by international arbitration panels interpreting and applying the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Every year, the Vis Moot problem has one procedural issue drawn from a rotation of the rules of various international arbitration providers, and one substantive issue based on interpretations of the CISG.
My experiences at the 31st Vis Moot deepened my perspective on international commercial arbitration. I observed Haub Law糖心vlog短视频檚 outstanding student team compete in a few of its rounds, and I served as an arbitrator for other rounds. I marveled at the wonderful mentorship, coaching and nonstop cheerleading of our team provided by Professor Linda Wayner and 糖心vlog短视频淰is Mootie糖心vlog短视频 and Haub Law alumna Bryn Goodman 糖心vlog短视频11. I participated in the meeting of the Verein to debrief this year糖心vlog短视频檚 competition and discuss planning for next year. I attended the festive (and packed) Opening Ceremonies, at which Professor Bergsten, who passed away last summer, was honored and remembered fondly. I also attended the annual Bergsten lecture, delivered by Professor Patricia Louise Shaughnessy, Associate Professor at Stockholm University, Law Department and President of the Vis Moot Association, who addressed the topic: 糖心vlog短视频淎rbitration and the Rule of Law: delivering justice in a consent-based, private process.糖心vlog短视频
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Not only did I learn about international commercial arbitration while in Vienna, I also availed myself of the opportunity to learn about foreign perspectives on the broader field of international conflict resolution. To that end, on a visit to the Jewish Museum in Vienna I learned more about the history of Jewish life in the city and fortuitously stumbled across a temporary exhibit at the museum called 糖心vlog短视频淔RIEDEN/PEACE.糖心vlog短视频 [Frieden is the word for peace in German.] The exhibit was put together in the wake of Russia糖心vlog短视频檚 invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and was finalized around the time of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The exhibit 糖心vlog短视频渞ecalls the idea of peace as an achievement of civilization and may be seen as a contribution to a culture of peace that is still defective.糖心vlog短视频
The thought-provoking and moving exhibit was quite relevant to my teaching of conflict resolution. As my students know, I preach the value of developing negotiating skills as a lawyer. So, no surprise here: I was drawn to what was called 糖心vlog短视频淭he Negotiating Table.糖心vlog短视频 As pictured here, in the middle of the exhibition room was a round table with eight chairs, with origami birds, an international symbol of peace, strung over the table resembling a childhood mobile. The mobile resulted from a kids糖心vlog短视频 activity: children were asked to write out what 糖心vlog短视频減eace糖心vlog短视频 meant to them on a round piece of paper which was then hung next to the origami birds.
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Imprinted on the table in front of each chair was the word for 糖心vlog短视频減eace糖心vlog短视频 in eight different languages: Frieden, shalom, salam, mir, pok貌j, ahimsa, he ping, pax, and eirene. The exhibit explained: 糖心vlog短视频減eace has many, often metaphorical, meanings and is understood differently depending on the historical, religious, or cultural context. The ideas and concepts about peace are correspondingly diverse. We have collected the main ones here on our 糖心vlog短视频榥egotiating table.糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频
The exhibit also explained that 糖心vlog短视频減eace is not just the absence of war. This negative definition is contrasted by peace researchers with positive peace, which also includes the absence of structural violence and is linked with the concepts of justice, democracy, human rights, and international law.糖心vlog短视频 The notion that peace is not just the absence of war resonated deeply with me, as eliminating war cannot be the only goal of peace talks. Rather, peace talks need to address the warring countries糖心vlog短视频 underlying interests, needs and desires.
The notion that peace is not just the absence of war resonated deeply with me, as eliminating war cannot be the only goal of peace talks.
When I returned to campus, I shared my experiences of the exhibit with my Survey of Dispute Resolution Processes class. After reminding students how we explored various aspects of conflict in the first class of the semester, I then asked them (and now ask readers) to ponder what the Exhibit forcefully asked its visitors: What does peace mean to you?
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