Sept. 20: Ed DeLaney discusses whether US signatures on treaties mean anything

Local/global attorney Ed DeLaney leads a Constitution Cafe discussion on “International Agreements in War Time - Do U.S. Signatures on a Treaty Mean Anything?” at IUPUI's Democracy Plaza, part of My Daily Constitution

When: Wednesday, September 20 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM

Where: Democracy Plaza, IUPUI campus breezeway adjacent to University Library

The War in Iraq and the apparently broader series of events called the War on Terror challenge those Americans who believe in international treaties. Can the President dismiss the relevance of the Geneva Conventions? Will the Congress let him? What will the consequences be in terms of International Law and our chances of conducting a successful foreign policy?

The best person in town, maybe the best people in the country to lead this discussion is Ed DeLaney, one of Indiana’s most experienced trial lawyers. He has handled a wide array of cases for more than 30 years, trying cases throughout the US and in Europe. His principal areas of expertise are business disputes, securities law, estate-related controversies, First Amendment issues, and access to records litigation. DeLaney has also been active in international trade work, especially relating to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. DeLaney has a B.A. and an M.A. in International Relations from the State University of New York at Binghamton. After serving in the United States Navy, he attended the Harvard Law School and graduated with Honors in 1973. At the end of 2003, he retired as a Partner from the firm of Barnes & Thornburg where he had practiced since 1973. In January 2005, Ed joined DeLaney & DeLaney.

What more can be said about Ed? One of the great things about doing a blog like IndyBuzz is the opportunity to plagiarize from myself. Here are some blubs about Ed from previous postings.

Ed DeLaney on the UN:

Ed DeLaney has taught me just about everything worthwhile that I know about the roblems with the UN. He has been on the ground, building new legal systems with he cooperation and obstruction of the UN, and thus brings an utterly refreshing erspective to the question. So here are some questions you should expect Ed to nswer: What should be the role of the UN Security Council? How much should the US bind itself by Security Council resolutions (or lack of resolutions)? What does the N do well, and what does it do poorly? Are Americans correct to worry that nternational law will trump US law, and thus that multilateral organizations such as he UN or the International Criminal Court will supplant the democratically elected overnment of the United States?

Ed DeLaney on Russia:

Ed DeLaney is one of my favorite speakers on Russia. Thanks to a stint in spy school in the 1960s, courtesy of the US Navy, Ed is fluent in Russian. So as Ed rose to prominence as one of the top corporate attorneys in the Midwest and a leader in the Dem party of Indiana, he also carried out extensive business in the USSR. In the 1990s he used his international law experience in the Balkans, representing Bosnia in negotiations and helping establish the legal system in Kosovo. I find his insights on local politics to be most illuminating when he talks about Russia, Central Asia or the Balkans ... I have swiped about a dozen anecdotes and illustrations from Ed that I use in my talks (I hope this lawyer will recognize this as the sincerest form of flattery, not cause for a suit). It will be worth skipping work or cutting class to attend this talk.

Ed DeLaney on international law:

Ed DeLaney is a trial lawyer and currently a partner at DeLaney & DeLaney in Indianapolis. DeLaney has been active in international trade work throughout his career, especially as relates to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He represented the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in an arbitration hearing under the Dayton Peace Accords. He is an adjunct fellow with the Hudson Institute and an adjunct professor of law at Indiana University–Bloomington. DeLaney has written, in collaboration with John Clark, on the United Nations and how it can be used most effectively to rebuild Iraq.

For more information ...

You should do a bit of reading before the session. Citizens for Global Solutions has a great program on international law and justice. Check out Yahoo for recent articles on the detainess at Guantanamo, one of the clearest points of tension with the Geneva Conventions. For three different perspectives on Ed's discussion, you can read articles from US New & World Report, the National Review, and the American Prospect. And Ed isn't the only local expert on these issues.

After the event you may be looking for more information. Check out the contributions by Marty Lederman on the Balkinization law blog. Human Rights First is an important group. The Lawyers Committee for Human rights has written articulately about this issue: read chapters 4 and 5 of their report A Year of Loss: Reexamining Civil Liberties since September 11, and Behind the Wire: An Update to Ending Secret Detentions.

About the venue: Democracy Plaza at IUPUI is a large common area for expressing opinions and exchanging ideas in “an atmosphere of fair play,” according to the plaza’s posted guidelines, the space is surrounded by a wall on which faculty, staff, and students scribble questions, ideas, and responses in colorful chalk. Hundreds of people at a time have showed up for outdoor rallies, and more still join in the plaza’s ongoing political expression.

If you like this event ...

You will love hearing from Andy Jacobs about the Constitution and US foreign policy. You'll also enjoy Claudia Porretti's conversation about the erosion of constitutional protections in the US since 9/11. The movie Control Room, about the Arab TV News network al-Jazeera, shines light on how much of the world sees the US ... it's part of the MDC Film Festival.

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