Interaction and Persuasion:An analysis of the use of rhetorical devices in Gordon Brown's speech to the Labour Party Conference, on September 25, 2006

This essay has identified and analysed rhetorical devices in Gordon Brown’s speech delivered at the Labour Party conference on September 25, 2006. The aim of the study was to identify specific rhetorical devices which are described as interactional resources, analyse their uses and discuss possible effects that they may have when included in a political speech. The results are based on my own interpretations but are supported by information provided in current literature by analysts and researchers of rhetoric use. The result findings could probably serve as evidence of the need for better understanding of the devices used by politicians in their relentless endeavours to influence audience decisions.

Of Law, Lawlessness, and Sovereignty : Multinational Peacekeeping and International Law

Laws of war have been carefully defined by individual nations’ own codes of law as well as by supranational bodies. Yet the international scene has seen an increasing movement away from traditionally declared war toward multinational peacekeeping missions geared at containing local conflicts when perceived as potential threats to their respective regions’ political stability. While individual nations’ laws governing warfare presuppose national sovereignty, the multinational nature of peacekeeping scenarios can blur the lines of command structures, soldiers’ national loyalties, occupational jurisdiction, and raise profound questions as to which countries’ moral sense/governmental system is to be the one upheld. Historically increasingly complex international relations have driven increasingly detailed internationally drafted guidelines for countries’ interactions while at war, yet there are operational, legislative, and moral issues arising in multinational peacekeeping situations which these laws do not address at all. The author analyzes three unique peacekeeping operations in light of these legislative voids and suggests systematic points to consider to the end of protecting the peacekeepers, the national interests of the countries involved, operational matters, and clearly delineating both the objective and logical boundaries of a given multinational peacekeeping mission.

Islamic law and international law: the terms of a relationship

The relationship between Islamic Law and other legal systems (basically western type domestic legal orders and international law) is often thought of in terms of compatibility or incompatibility. Concerning certain subject matters of choice, the compatibility of Islamic (legal) principles with the values embedded in legal systems that are regarded as characteristic of the Modern Age is tested by sets of questions: is democracy possible in Islam? Does Islam recognize human rights and are those rights equivalent to a more universal conception? Does Islam recognize or condone more extreme acts of violence and does it justify violence differently? Etc. Such questions and many more presuppose the existence of an ensemble of rules or principles which, as any other set of rules and principles, purport to regulate social behavior. This ensemble is generically referred to as Islamic Law. However, one set of questions is usually left unanswered: is Islamic Law a legal system? If it is a legal system, what are its specific characteristics? How does it work? Where does it apply? It is this paper`s argument that the relationship between Islamic Law and domestic and international law can only be understood if looked upon as a relationship between distinct legal systems or legal orders.

A proteção dos vulneráveis no direito internacional privado brasileiro

As relações de consumo, da mesma forma como relações privadas em geral, têm assumido caráter internacional. O crescente fenômeno acarreta, contudo, o incremento de vulnerabilidade do consumidor, a qual, em nível nacional, já exige que o direito restabeleça o desequilíbrio intrínseco à relação de consumo. Em nível internacional, assim, esses desafios aumentam, especialmente porque as normas conflituais clássicas foram construídas a partir da sociedade liberal moderna, que buscava basicamente a manutenção da igualdade formal entre os indivíduos, sem preocupações de cunho material. No Direito Internacional Privado Brasileiro essa situação se repete. Busca o presente trabalho, portanto, construir propostas para o Direito Internacional Privado Brasileiro de defesa do consumidor. Na primeira parte do trabalho, então, são analisadas as causas da vulnerabilidade na relação internacional de consumo, constatando-se estar no liberalismo jurídico e suas conseqüências na disciplina, bem como o duplo papel do princípio da autonomia da vontade. Por um lado, a autonomia permite o reconhecimento do indivíduo no plano internacional, mas por outro demonstra a insuficiência do modelo conflitual clássico. Diante da crise do modelo liberal moderno, discutem-se, na segunda parte do trabalho, os remédios para superar a vulnerabilidade na relação internacional de consumo. Analisa-se a informação enquanto forma de mitigar a vulnerabilidade do consumidor. Abordam-se, ainda, as formas de se encontrar a lei mais favorável ao consumidor. Nas conclusões, enfim, constrói-se uma sugestão de redação para a lei brasileira de proteção internacional do consumidor.

Private equity regulation: what are the consequences of the alternative investment fund managers directive (AIFMD) on private equity managers?

The recent global financial crisis brought significant regulatory changes in the worldwide financial industry. In Europe and in the alternative asset sector specifically, a new regulation by the name of Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive saw the daylight in 2010. This far-reaching and complex Directive with the main goal of regulating and overseeing alternative investment funds has triggered many discussions and represents an industry game-changer. Thus, this research will focus on the impact and consequences of the Directive on private equity fund managers and the role of regulators. In other words, what are the effects, what does that mean in a quantitative and qualitative sense, and how is it likely to influence the outlook of this asset class? In order to provide the reader with an extensive view on the topic, the paper will first discuss relevant theory and literature, using mix-methods and legal-dogmatic approaches. Further, descriptive case studies, analysis of existing surveys, and interviews with industry experts will supplement the paper in order to understand primary implications of the Directive with the goal of providing useful insights for further private equity regulation research.

Declaración de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) sobre la crisis financiera internacional, 15 de septiembre de 1998 = Communiqué of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the international financial crisis, 15 September 1998

Publicación bilingüe

Private international capital flows to Brazil

Includes bibliography