Eurasian legal systems in a world in transition
Economic prosperity or disparity, and the return of politics in international law
Published on Friday, October 28, 2022
Abstract
The pace of history has accelerated in recent years and even months, well beyond a new cold-war dynamic. Trading nations entertain friendly commerce relations but they also engage in trade- and information-wars, thereby mixing regional construction and inter-regional deconstruction; that is, merging economic integration and political disintegration. Eurasia, with half of the world population, would represent, if economically and regionally integrated, the greatest consumer market and productive capacity on earth. Considering this geo-political/economic background, the question is simply whether such a Eurasian economic integration is achievable or not. Here, the “return of politics” through the neo-role played by States in Covid-management and, from 2022, in international economic law and other wider issues, is proving a challenge for analysts of the ‘legalisation’ of regions.
Announcement
Argument
After the hasty and disorderly withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, an open conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a brief entry of the CSTO into Kazakhstan, and the emerging consequences of the lapse COVID-related monetary policies (inflation and stagflation, the global logistical links interruptions), this conference looks at the sombre dynamics that question the raison d’être of Eurasia today.
While the sanctions against China were maintained by the US and even expanded under J. Biden to include semiconductors and new sanctions are considered aimed at deterring China vis-à-vis Taiwan, and more sanctions are applied against Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the world is nearing confirmed turmoil. Additionally, the US and the EU adopted a system of political and economic sanctions on exports of high-tech components with military impact, of ban on gas imports and on visas, etc., logically leading to Russia’s adopting counter-sanctions against countries sanctioning her.
The present conference is set in sessions looking at the unstable configuration created by challenges of multiple dimensions. SESSION 1 analyses these challenges in their differing nature. SESSION 2 and SESSION 3 assess how the actors in Eurasia position themselves in this new reality and in the new challenges, focusing first on the economic consequences and answers, then n the political security impacts and rearrangements. An additional SESSION 4 brings in timely perspectives on Artificial intelligence and Big data issues
Session 1 - Challenges and turmoils in the region: when conflictual dynamics take over from Covid and jeopardize the context of cooperation
The Eurasian region and the world at large are presently affected by the military operations around the Black Sea as regards the delivery of cereals and fertilizers… with an impact leading to a global food crisis. In addition, sanctions and counter-sanctions cut the ties on essential gas-, oil-, and raw materials deliveries, creating a dilemma in the international markets. More generally, the return of politics has taken the form of the return of the military in open conflicts subsuming other disruptions such as Covid-affected monetary and logistical policies (extra cash to support populations has meant a renewed inflation), energy policies in general well beyond the disruption of Russian exports and the return of massive sanctions as a privileged form of international relations. Topics in this session thus include:
- artificial Intelligence and big data, as affecting the framework of exchanges
- regional security, international competition
- the late economic impact of covid and policies relative to covid
- the impact of inflation, stagflation, energy, raw material, food supplies
- direct and indirect consequences of the situation in Ukraine
- follow-up on economic (US new) sanctions against China
- western sanctions against Russia (links with China and India) and eventual counter measures
Session 2- Legal and economic impact on commercial institutions (EAEU, EU …) and cooperation agreements (Silk Roads …)
The upheavals of the recent months could impact the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) if nations adopted national legislation aimed at restricting trade in food-, gas-, security-, military-, information- and data- commodities. Dispute-settlement mechanisms could also be impacted by the choice to resort to armed actions in regional conflicts and to threats against other countries. Indeed, energy- and climate-change policies already permeate through Western countries looking for new providers of energy : rehabilitation of nuclear power in Europe, reopening of coal power plants. Topics in this session thus include:
- artificial Intelligence and big data : financing and funding scientific progress in IT
- commercial dispute-settlement between partners
- re-centration of policies in the EU’s energy policies (agreement with Nigeria, Norway, or the US for gas delivery, agreement with Azerbaijan, reinstating of a nuclear energy policy, etc.). The new importance of uranium will place Kazakhstan at the core.
- sanctions towards a formal agreement or more flexible ones
- commerce : furthering exchanges through trade agreements
- Building a regional economic integration or competing between nations
- EAEU-hesitation : late reticence of Kazakhstan related to Ukraine-Russia situation
- Silk Road evolutions by China – problems of state defaulting
SESSION 3- Legal and political impact on security institutions (SCO, CSTO …): expansion, re-"centration" or deconstruction of great ensembles ?
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)’s disposal of troops in Kazakhstan in January 2022 raised the question of CSTO members’ reciprocal influence in each other’s security and influence in the post-Soviet zone. Kazakhstan’s diplomacy is very cautious as regards the situation in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia, challenging de facto the present system of peacekeeping role in the South Caucasus, and clashes resumed between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) expands with Iran then Belarus upgraded to member-status, while numerous countries are becoming dialogue partners (3 in 2021, 5 in 2022). NATO is also reinforced, with the adhesion (?) of Finland and Sweden and the spontaneous request of Ukraine to join the Alliance. Topics in this session thus include:
- artificial Intelligence and big data : deviant uses in mingling in domestic affairs
- Moscow's influence in the post-Soviet region : Kazakhstan’s diplomacy as recently signalled by the view that China is a key partner.
- Azerbaijan has renewed tensions with Armenia, challenging Russia's peacekeeping role in the South Caucasus.
- Questioning the CSTO : open conflict on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border; most severe fighting of Azerbaijan/Armenia since 2020 (when Armenia invoked the CSTO's Treaty for assuring Armenia's security, Russia’s “fact-finding” mission.
- Finland and Sweden’s fluctuating position vis-à-vis NATO.
- SCO expansion (Iran/Belarus becoming members -Turkey ? -Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar as partners + 5 new partners in 2022)
- Can continuations of US sanctions vs China (microprocessors, etc.) and security concerns over Taiwan become a “kinetic war” ?
- East Asian perspectives : Korea, Japan
SESSION 4 – Artificial Intelligence and Big data
AI and big·data are the core technologies of the 4th industrial revolution and have become the protagonist of the future era. Almost all of the nations around the world are implementing a policy to rapidly raise the competitiveness of AI and data fields which are the core of the digital new deal policy in the post-corona era. However, we must seriously consider the dark sides that may cause the marginalized characters. It is because they lead to the damage of data monopoly, invasion of privacy due to leakage of personal information, and risk of falling into the surveillance society due to the control of personal information, although AI·data technologies bring convenience to us. Accordingly, we need to do research to find a harmonization and balance between the utilization of AI and Big data and their adverse effects.
This 2023 edition completes five publications focusing i/ (in Kazakhstan) on “Regional law within international law”, published as a book Le régionalisme et ses limites : regards croisés franco-kazakhs in Russian in 2014 in Kazakhstan and in French in 2016 in Belgium (183 p.); ii/ (in France) on "Societal mutations and legal responses", published as a book Mutations de société et réponses du droit : perspectives franco-asiatiques comparées in Russian in Kazakhstan in 2017 and in French in Belgium in 2017 (280 p.); iii/ (in Korea) on the European and Asian origins of legal and political systems: views from Korea, Kazakhstan and France, published as a book in English in 2018 in Belgium (298 p.); iv/ (in Kazakhstan) on the Challenge of change in the legal and political systems of Eurasia and the New Silk Road, published as a book in English in 2020 in Belgium (312 p.); and v/ (in France) on the Eurasian challenges to international economic law, published as a book in English in 2022 in Belgium (337 p).
These books published by Peter Lang (series Cultures Juridiques et Politiques) discuss how national and regional legal systems and their responses to the challenge of change must be studied both in their slow, institutional evolutions as well as in their necessarily hurried adaptations, in times of crises. These systems revert to a need to legislate en temps réel while having to anticipate on further challenges still unknown. The latter point to sheer violence such as terrorism, to unpredictable health hazards such as pandemics, to political regime-change such as newly elected radical leaderships, to the use of open military conflict with a high probability of the demise of carefully-constructed multilateral organisations.
Submission guidelines
Proposed papers to be submitted as abstracts (200 words) to the organisers: pierrechabal@yahoo.fr, hhseong@inha.ac.kr, titiriga.rem@gmail.com, zhuldyz.sairam@gmail.com.
not later than 15th December 2022.
Accepted papers will be notified to authors by 15th January 2023. Final papers are expected no later than 15th April 2023 in Word file within 25 000 signs spaces included, with footnotes, not end-notes, references in footnotes not in end-bibliography. Participants are expected to pay for their own travel from home to InHa university and back. Local organisers cover three nights on 10th, 11th and 12th of May 2023 as well as meals from dinner on the 10th to breakfast on the 12th. A selection of the best papers will be published in the Peter Lang series Cultures juridiques et politiques.
Organisers
- Pierre Chabal ; University of Le Havre
- Hye-Hwal SEONG, InHa University, Southe Korea
- Zhuldyz SAIRAMBAEVA, Al Farabi Kazakh National Univerity
Subjects
- Law (Main category)
- Society > Political studies
Places
- InHa Law SCHOOL, building of innovation - 100 Inha-ro, Nam-gu
Incheon, Republic of Korea (22212)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Thursday, December 15, 2022
Keywords
- artificial intelligence, big data, legal, tension, Western sanction, Russia, counter-sanction, energy crise, food-crise, sino-russian
Contact(s)
- pierre CHABAL
courriel : pierrechabal [at] yahoo [dot] fr
Reference Urls
Information source
- pierre CHABAL
courriel : pierrechabal [at] yahoo [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Eurasian legal systems in a world in transition », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Friday, October 28, 2022, https://doi.org/10.58079/19t7