We will talk about it more tomorrow morning. It is a vision of law as process, in the best Hart and Sacks tradition. It is a vision in which persuasion counts for more than power and consent is a far better basis for order than coercion. In sum, Abe believes law is more about talk than about power. Abe's vision of the law has equally always embraced a close intertwining of law and politics, though he still believes in a distinction between the two.
Legal process is all about how law shapes politics and politics shapes law.
Abe's career has spanned major political upheavals it is the trajectory of the Cold War and the post-Cold War of the international order as we know it. It has been a pax americana, for better or for worse. Abe's scholarship has been actively involved in the major political issues of day, from arms control to covert support of foreign insurgents to global environmental protection. Over the next two days we will cover many of these issues in sessions designed to provoke a lively discussion. Many of the panel participants are former Ford Fellows in International Law, a program that Abe helped design and sponsor to help create a new generation of international law teachers.