Transformation in Iraq: From Ending a Modern War to Creating a Modern Peace - April 4, 2008

This symposium will assess the legitimacy and viability of current international law, insofar as it governs the transformation from post-war occupation to post-occupation peace. Using Iraq as a test case, the symposium will test this modern law against both changed contemporary realities and recent developments in moral and political thought. The first panel will will bring together a number of renowned moral, political, and legal philosophers to address the question of what fundamental obligations the U.S. has to Iraq in moving from occupation to post-occupation. The second panel assess the current state of the law, and consider whether it has evolved sufficiently from its origins to encompass democratic "nation building" and economic reforms within its ambit. The third panel will, finally, explore the possibility of developing American exit strategies from Iraq that meet these broad moral and legal requirements.

Articles from the symposium are available in the Fall 2009 issue of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review.