international law quarterly
fall 2014 • volume XXXII, no. 2
WORLD ROUNDUP ASEAN, Indonesia Patrick M. Talbot patrick.talbot@uph.edu
Indonesia elects new president. Indonesia elected a new president on 9 July 2014, Joko Widodo (announced on 22 July). Mr. Widodo edged out Prabowo Subianto, a former military general, in a tight and somewhat controversial race. Mr. Widodo is expected to engage in a pro-business and economic growth platform, focusing on stability and continued engagement with foreign investors. In the meantime, the governor of Jakarta and other city officials have embarked on a campaign to start building the much-anticipated MRT (mass rapid transit) system, which has been plagued by delay and corruption for the past several years. The MRT is expected to improve traffic congestion significantly in and around Jakarta, and facilitate movement of goods to and from the port in the northern part of Jakarta.
Fifty-six Indonesians join ISIS. Indonesia has encountered some recent international legal challenges, discovering in June that as many as fifty-six of its citizens have travelled to Syria or Iraq to join ISIS. Indonesian police are investigating the matter. The government is officially committed to eradicating ISIS involvement in Indonesia.
Former WTO director discusses changes to trade protection. Indonesia hosted a seminar on 10 September featuring former World Trade Organization (WTO) general director, Pascal Lamy, who spoke on the topic “Differences in the Old and New World of Trade.” Mr. Pascal emphasized a change in the climate of trade protection, formerly based on a culture of shielding domestic producers with higher tariffs, to a new emphasis on consumer protection via regulations and safety standards. He noted both the benefits (to consumers) and challenges (for producers) in this emphasis on non-tariff barriers involving safety and attempts at harmonization of very diverse national production standards around the globe.
Advocates International hold conference in Jakarta. Indonesia hosted a conference by Advocates International in Jakarta, 31 October-1 November 2014,
18
involving attorneys, law students and human rights activists. The conference focused on anticorruption, economic growth through integrity in law enforcement and building legal networks to help stop sex trafficking in the area. Indonesia has a growing international problem of sex trafficking, including its children, involving illicit networks in Singapore and Malaysia. The conference drew attendees from various countries in Asia and elsewhere.
ASEAN provides economic growth and stability in Southeast Asia. Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN (with its headquarters in Indonesia) continues to make strides in improving economic growth and political stability in Southeast Asia. ASEAN has a combined population among its member trading states of approximately 600 million people and is seen by many, including the United States, as an important balance and stabilizing presence to the growing economic influence (and political power) of neighboring states India and China. ASEAN and China have entered into a free trade agreement, the China ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA, 2010). As of 2014 September, seven nations in CAFTA have embraced the zero tariff policy of CAFTA on about 90% of goods traded in the region (covering rubber, textiles, vegetable oil, steel, etc.). Some of the newer members of ASEAN are expected to join that zero tariff policy in 2015. CAFTA is the third-largest free trade area in the world. India and ASEAN continue to grow their own trade cooperation as well.
Brazil Quinn Smith quinn.smith@gommsmith.com
New internet law enshrines net neutrality in Brazil. Hailed in The Economist as Brazil’s “magna carta for the web,” Law No. 12,965/2014 (the Brazilian Internet Law) took effect on 23 June 2014. The law embraces net neutrality, which requires equal treatment for every data transmission regardless of content, origin, destination, service, terminal or application. The law expands privacy rights for users and offers internet service providers and internet application providers limited immunity from lawsuits related to usergenerated content. Critics have noted that the law goes too far in requiring compliance by non-Brazilian service