May 9, 2008

BU Law Professor Robert D. Sloane awarded Francis Lieber Prize Certificate of Merit

BU Law Professor Robert D. Sloane was recently awarded a Francis Lieber Prize Certificate of Merit by the American Society of International Law’s Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict. Sloane’s article, Prologue to a Voluntarist War Convention, was one of two works to earn a Certificate of Merit this year for its contribution to the area of law and armed conflict.

The Francis Lieber Prize is an annual competition open to authors 35 years old and under. Submission topics are within the area of international law, often focusing on such subjects as: force, hostilities, weapons, peace operations, or humanitarian assistance. Through its award, the Lieber Society on Armed Conflict, “facilitates dialogue by bringing together academics and governmental and non-governmental practitioners, civilian and military, from the United States and throughout the world,” according to ASIL.

Sloane writes that Prologue to a Voluntarist War Convention “…attempts to identify and clarify what is genuinely new about the ‘new paradigm’ of armed conflict after the attacks of September 11, 2001.” His celebrated search for this so-called “new paradigm” appeared in the December 2007 edition of the Michigan Law Review.

Over the years, Sloane has put forth many other publications concerning Tibet, criminal law and international law. He continues to pursue research in public international law, the law of war, international political theory and ethics, international human rights, criminal law, and foreign investment arbitration. He joined the BU Law faculty in 2006, and currently teaches Introduction to International Law, Criminal Law and International Criminal Law.

Lieber Society chairperson, professor Dennis Mandsager, presented Sloane his Certificate of Merit in a recent ASIL meeting.

>>To read Prologue to a Voluntarist War Convention click here.

>>To learn more about ASIL, the Lieber Society and the Francis Lieber Award click here.