Will we have the Rule of Law or the Rule of (the Strong) Man?

The Mandela Institute cordially invites you to a public lecture to be delivered by Mark R. Shulman, Fordham Law School, New York

In an age of resurgent populist nationalism, strong men have assumed the leadership of governments around the world, from the multinational superpowers to small states with liberal traditions. Men such as Trump, Putin, Xi, most recently Balosaro appear to enjoy widespread support in their respective countries. To consolidate their power and serve their base, these strong men are attacking and degrading the systems of good government. How is the rule of law holding up against their efforts to subjugate countries to the “Rule of Man”? What lessons can we learn about maintaining the rule of law in the face of populist nationalists?

This lecture will examine some recent developments affecting key institutions of the rule of law and civil society. It will assess their significance, resilience and prospects for due process, equal protection and social justice.  Key themes include:

• Autonomy of Judges
• Bar Associations and Independence of Legal Practitioners
• Prosecutors
• Non-Governmental Organisations
• Political Crimes
• Extra-judicial Killings
• Privacy and Surveillance

Mark R. Shulman teaches and writes about international law and international affairs. Prior to returning to teaching, he spent a decade in academic administration most recently as the inaugural Associate Dean for Global Admissions at New York University and before that as the first Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs & International Affairs at Pace Law School. Immediately prior to joining Pace, he created and ran the Worldwide Security Program at the EastWest Institute in New York and Brussels. This project followed several years of private practice in corporate law at Debevoise & Plimpton, a global firm based in New York.

An active member of the New York City Bar, he serves on the Executive Committee and has previously chaired the Committees on International Human Rights, Asian Affairs, International Affairs, and most recently National Security and the Rule of Law.

A teacher with almost three decades of experience, he teaches Human Rights at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and International Law courses at Sarah Lawrence College and Fordham Law School. Over the years, he has also held teaching appointments at Yale, Columbia’s Law School and School of International and Public Affairs, the U.S. Air War College, and the China University of Political Science and Law. He has consulted on human rights and international affairs projects for the Rockefeller Foundation, and co-founded Next Generation Nepal and the Asian University for Women.

Mr Shulman holds a BA from Yale, an St. from Oxford, PhD in history from the University of California, Berkeley and a JD from Columbia.

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