"Old Rules, New Threats" Roundtable Project
Co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations
(November 2002 to Present)

Titled "Old Rules, New Threats," Anne-Marie Slaughter's essay for the July/September 2002 ASIL Newsletter observed that there seem to be two fundamental approaches to policy questions raised since September 11, 2001.

"Some have argued that we are breaking new ground and need new rules, or at least a new paradigm for future behavior. Others have applied the lawyer's usual response to new situations; rather than throw out the old rules and start fresh, explore how the old rules can be most logically and sensibly extended. However, much lies between those positions - political affiliation, theories of constitutional interpretations, schools of international jurisprudence-to name only a few."

To explore this issue, the ASIL is cosponsoring a roundtable project with the Council on Foreign Relations co-chaired by Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University and former ASIL President, and Lee Feinstein, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and International Law and Director for Strategic Policy, Council on Foreign Relations. As Anne-Marie Slaughter continued in her essay, the purpose of the roundtable is "not just to talk. It is to engage different points of view in a genuinely constructive dialogue to provide a strong political and legal basis for action."

Participation in the roundtable is by invitation in order to allow for maximum engagement across points of view. Outlines prepared as the basis for each discussion, however, will be made available through our respective web sites as will a summary of each roundtable's discussion. For ASIL members interested in exchanging views, the ASILforum listserve might provide an opportunity for further dialogue.

Roundtable Project Meetings