The Program: The World Crisis and International Law

We live in a dark time. Not so long ago we thought a new dawn broke when the Cold War ended, bringing universal peace, general prosperity, worldwide connectivity, human rights, and the international rule of law. Instead, disillusion has overtaken us in the wake of shocks and abounding threats. We face uncivil politics, economic anxiety, and tribal conflict throughout the rich world. Authoritarian nationalists seem the coming thing around the world, rich and poor alike. Peace and prosperity do not. Many believers in the liberal international order now feel, like Marxists in the 1980s, that history has “turned against them.”

Presenter: Paul Stephan

For over 40 years Paul Stephan has explored the intersection of economics, politics, and law in Eurasia and Eastern Europe. Following his start in the Soviet Internal Branch of the CIA, he enjoyed a wide range of experience across the region. He helped draft the tax codes for newly independent Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan, assisted the IMF, World Bank and OECD in the liberalization of the Russian economy, and served as the Counselor for International Law in the State Department’s Office of Legal Adviser and and Special Counsel to the General Counsel in the Defense Department. His academic work at the University of Virginia School of Law has given him the foundation to explore these issues and events. While based in Charlottesville, he has lectured on and written about the world economy and international law from Shenzen to The Hague.

Thursday, March 30, 2023 6:00pm
Tanoan Country Club