Walking Down Memory Lane on the 50th Anniversary of YJIL
W. Michael Reisman
Professor Reisman has been a counsel of record in many cases, an arbitrator in countless international disputes, and presided over various arbitrations. As the Chairman Arbitrator, Reisman presided over the OSPAR dispute between Ireland and the United Kingdom “in connection with the commissioning of the mixed oxide nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the [UK] on the coast of the Irish Sea in 1996.” He also presided over the Bank of International Settlements cases, which issued its Final Award in 2003 in a dispute between the Bank and private shareholders involving the lawfulness of compulsory recall of privately held shares and the adequacy of the compensation provided.
Included are artifacts from the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission Dispute (2000-2007), in which Professor Reisman, appointed by Eritrea, served as one of the three arbitrators; the Guinea v. Guinea-Bissau maritime delimitation dispute (1991-1995) (XXV I.L.M. 251 (1986)), in which, along with Professor Myres McDougal and others, he served as counsel for the Republic of Guinea; and the Qatar v. Bahrain maritime delimitation dispute (1991-2001), in which he served as counsel, among others, for the State of Bahrain. In addition to documents, are included photographs portraying Reisman as advocate.
His voluminous scholarship and teaching accolades aside, the exhibit also spotlights Professor Reisman, as a scholar and teacher. The lighter side of the everyman teacher’s friendship with his students and glimpses of his presence on campus over the years, as captured in Yale Daily News, are also included. At the 2004 annual meeting of the American Society of International Law, Reisman was awarded the Manley O. Hudson Medal, its highest honor for scholarship and achievement in international law.
Professor Reisman’s advocacy in global policy is evident throughout his decades-long career. From his participation in human rights missions (1987-2001), to serving on the Advisory Committee on International Law for the Department of State, being a member of the Foreign Policy Association, and serving as the Vice-Chairman of the Policy Sciences Center, Inc., the exhibit highlights his 1987 work in a Mujahideen Camp in Afghanistan; his Presidency of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States; his contributions to the International Law Commission; and his extensive work as a member of, and the Vice-President and Honorary Vice-President of the American Society of International Law.