Intro to Israel:
Water, Energy, and Dispute Resolution
Gabriel Eckstein and Nancy Welsh
The Spring 2018 Israel field study focused on regional disputes related to water and energy resource management. Through on-site visits to various Israeli and Palestinian ministries, non-government organizations, and water and energy-related facilities, students explored water and energy procurement, development, and distribution in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, as well as associated environmental concerns. They also examined the challenges that resources scarcity, political instability, differing cultural norms, and other factors play in natural resources management and considered applicable domestic and international laws and dispute resolutions mechanisms.
“This field study will be a deep dive into the regulatory, political, and environmental issues at play,” Nancy Welsh, Aggie Dispute Resolution Program Director, said. “The current disputes over seawater desalination and its attending environmental impact are very timely, and will give our students insight into the nuances of dispute resolution in a different part of the world that cannot be replicated in the classroom.”
The combined classroom and field experience in Israel explored the history, culture, and legal issues related to water, energy, and associated dispute resolution challenges and examined basics of international and comparative law, cross-cultural communication, and being a global professional.
Scotland:
Natural Resource Management and Dispute Resolution
Randy Gordon and Guillermo Garcia
The Spring 2018 Scotland field study introduced students to the use of international commercial arbitration.
“Arbitration has long played an important role in dispute resolution in Scotland and, as a result, Scotland has developed its own body of arbitration law,” said Executive Professor of Law Randy Gordon, who will lead the course. “As part of our field study in Aberdeen, we will examine the particulars of the Scottish arbitration scheme and how it fits within and diverges from the international commercial arbitration system.”
Situated as it is along the North Sea, Aberdeen, and its ancient University, naturally evolved into an energy center. Our program took advantage of the broad expertise--in terms of both scholarship and business--growing out of Aberdeen's extensive connections to the North Sea oil and gas fields. More broadly, the students considered EU and International Law as they apply to energy, environmental, and climate change policy issues. The course gave particular attention to dispute resolution in Scotland, the UK, and the EU, including arbitration. The students made use of the Scottish location to learn about the history and evolution of Scots Law and the present mix of legal institutions.