Digest of United States Practice in International Law 2001

The Office of the Legal Adviser publishes the annual Digest of United States Practice in International Law to provide the public with a historical record of the views and practice of the Government of the United States in public and private international law. "In his introduction to the 2001 volume, then Legal Adviser William H. Taft IV stated in part: "2001 will likely prove to have been a watershed in the development of international law. In this field, as in so many other ways, the tragic, traumatic events of September 11 altered the landscape of U.S. practice. Issues of use of force, self-defense, and counter-terrorism, which have always been important, have posed unforeseen challenges in unanticipated contexts. Policy makers have been confronted by new questions related to humanitarian law, the law of war, and international criminal law. The various domestic and international responses to terrorism, including economic and trade sanctions, the freezing and seizing of assets, claims for compensation, and civil litigation, have each generated new and unique problems, to which the legal responses continue to develop. "At the same time, 2001 witnessed many other significant developments not directly related to the events of September 11, both through United States participation in international fora and developments in the application of international law in the United States. These cover the full range of topics in international legal practice, from treaties to consular affairs, the environment, and private international law. . . ."

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