In our time, the nation state has been under pressure from above, where the forces of globalization are leading to the creation of transnational structures of governance and allegiance, and from below, where the forces of secession in the name of self-determination may threaten to break up once durable national structures. The forces of Balkanization have been most prominent in the UK, with Brexit creating internal pressures of secession by Scotland, North Ireland and Wales, and serious complications on the border between North Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In Spain, meanwhile, the Catalan independence movement continues to fester. Once a progenitor of much of the modern trend towards multinational cooperation, the United States has in recent years been a force of resistance and disruption to global arrangements. There is a rich landscape of legal and extralegal questions raised by these events. In this seminar, we will explore that landscape. Among other topics, we will discuss the tension between democracy and globalization; the role of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the World Bank; the legitimacy of international courts and arbitration; the rise of English as the lingua franca around the world; the relevance of comparative law in constitutional adjudication; and the political and legal issues involving secession.
Sager, Lawrence 
Ferreres, Victor