Borderlines

How can Western democracies defend themselves against the weaponization of social media by authoritarian states? Episode #11 of Borderlines welcomes Santa Clara Law Professor David Sloss, author of Tyrants on Twitter, a new book examining Russia and China’s manipulation of digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to wage information warfare. His analysis includes innovative proposals for transnational cooperation to counter this modern threat while still protecting privacy and free speech rights. Listeners will take away fresh ideas about combatting foreign influence operations in the U.S. and Europe, and regulating the internet in the age of disinformation.

What happens when different legal systems give conflicting answers to the same question, and arguably, each set of rules applies? Episode #10 of Borderlines introduces U.S. and European Union approaches to Conflict of Laws in interstate and international contracts. Three experts join us: UC Berkeley Professor Andrew Bradt, author of Complex Litigation, UC Davis Professor Bill Dodge, author of Transnational Business Problems, and Montpellier Professor Claude Ferry, president of IABA, the International Association of Berkeley Law Alumni in Europe. They clarify technical issues with huge stakes: explaining, for instance, how American firms, but not European firms, can easily use governing law clauses to circumvent local labor and consumer protections. For listeners interested in more, Bill Dodge’s Transnational Litigation Blog has up-to-the moment updates.

Episode #9 of Borderlines features legendary U.S. Foreign Service Officer and Latin American expert Irving G. Tragen on the occasion of his 100th birthday, in conversation about his life and legacy with Berkeley Law’s newly-named Tragen Professor of Law, Dr. Katerina Linos. Drawing on more than 55 years of distinguished public service in Inter-American Affairs, Irving Tragen recounts his fascinating journey as a law student during WWII overcoming hearing impairment, through his frontline State Department diplomatic assignments as a witness to and influencer of labor laws, labor relations, and economic development across the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Tragen was an integral part of President John F. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress initiative, as well as the Organization of American States’ Economic Development Program efforts to tackle debt and foreign trade crises, secure border area infrastructure projects, and combat international drug trafficking. Listeners will benefit from Mr. Tragen’s brilliant mini-briefings on nations from Chile to Costa Rica, and enjoy insider stories from history’s hotspots.Timely lessons and timeless advice about investing in workforce education, and bringing respect to the table so as to successfully help people help themselves, are further highlights of this remarkable interview. Learn why Berkeley Law bestowed the Citation Award, its highest honor, on Mr. Tragen in 2010 for his exceptional leadership skills, character, and lifetime of achievements.Borderlines from Berkeley Law is a podcast about global problems in a world fragmented by national borders. Our host is Katerina Linos, Tragen Professor of International Law and co-director of the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law. In each episode of Borderlines, Professor Linos invites experts to discuss cutting edge issues in international law.