The American Bar Association Section of International Law just published a volume I edited entitled Promoting the Rule of Law: A Practicioner’s Guide to Key Issues and Developments. Chapter contributors include IntLawGrrls Fionnuala Ni Aolain and Patricia O’Brien, as well as Martin Schoenteich,  Hassane Cisse, David Stewart, Renaud Sorieul,  Colette Rausch and Thomas Nachbar, with a foreword by Justice Richard Goldstone.

Now more than ever, there is a consensus around the ideal of the rule of law and the centrality of its contribution to the development of democratic, prosperous, peaceful, inclusive and secure societies.  This book explores many facets of this mandate by looking at the different actors involved in rule of law work, the origins and evolution of this mandate, the role of rule of law in fostering economic development, fostering rule of law in conflict and post conflict settings and the different elements of designing and implementing rule of law missions around the globe. As it does so, this book also addresses the meaning or, rather, the various meanings of rule of law. All  contributing authors seek to get to the heart of how to make efforts to promote the rule of law more effective, more responsive, more inclusive, more coordinated, more humane and more enduring. In the Introductory Chapter, I outline Twelve Key Lessons that put the main conclusions of the book in context. While some of these conclusions are known to the rule of law community, they provide a framework for further discussion, inquiry and learning.

Continue reading →