Magdalena Bas Vilizzio, 2015-2016 President Néstor Kirchner Fellow, successfully completed her two week stay in New York

November 13^th, 2015 · The New School · New York

María Magdalena Bas Vilizzio, from Uruguay, successfully completed a two-week academic exchange at The New School. During this Fellowship, Magdalena worked to deepen her research on dispute settlement mechanisms in Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) and how they represent a shift from the classic sovereign state model in dispute resolution as they appeal less to solid diplomatic principles.

Magdalena is currently a Professor at the Universidad de la República and Universidad de Montevideo. As a researcher, she studies international dispute settlements, bilateral investment treaties, integration and other topics regarding International Law.

During Magdalena’s two weeks in New York City, she had the opportunity to present her work and receive feedback from New School faculty and students in two seminars and as a guest lecturer in Economic Development in Latin America, a graduate-level course in the Studley Graduate Program in International Affairs. She also met individually with academics and practitioners in her field.

Seminars with The New School Community

During Magdalena’s two weeks at The New School, she was required to present her work during two closed-door seminars with New School faculty and students. These exchanges are opportunities for the Fellow to receive detailed feedback on their ongoing research and preparation for their final presentation.

On November 3rd 2015 she had her first joint seminar with our other PNK Fellow Analia Calero during which professors Charles Allison, Chris London, Barry Herman, Michael Cohen, and Margarita Gutman were in attendance, as well students Lena Simet, David López García and Cristina Handal González. Magdalena started with a brief overview about how states required regulatory framework is intended to preserve their sovereignty and how the traditional state system may be changing in the emergence of the different BITs and resolutions that emerge from them. She pointed out how BITs face favorable or unfavorable climates according to their different economic organization and sociopolitical frameworks.

Professors Lucas Gonzalez and Marcelo Bufacchi from the Universidad Nacional de San Martín, as well as Margarita Gutman and Michael Cohen attended the second seminar, held on November 9th, 2015. Masters and PhD students, Mónica Hernandez, Martha Jaimes, Maria Carrizosa Coordinator of OLA, Francisca Paz y Miño, and OLA’s Program Associate Georgina Vázquez De Los Reyes joined them. Feedback provided during this seminar built on Magdalena’s countries’ classification and pointed her ways to give greater depth to her research question and broaden her analytical position.

Interviews and Visits in New York

Magdalena spent most of her time meeting with experts in the fields of economic development and international treaties. She met with Michael Cohen, Director of the Observatory on Latin America and Founder Director of the Graduate Program in International Affairs; Michelle DePass, Dean of Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy; Alejandro Garro, Columbia Law School; Peter Hoffman, Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy; Martin Guzmán, Columbia Graduate School of Business; Jamee Moudud, The New School for Social Research; Julian Arato, Brooklyn School of Law; Lisa Sachs, Columbia Center on Sustainable Development; Manuel Pérez Rocha Institute of Policy Studies, Washington; Gustav Peebles, The New School for Social Research, and Juan Obarrio, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Buenos Aires.

Public Lecture

On November 11th, 2015, Magdalena Bas Vilizzio presented her research in a Public Lecture titled “South America Facing Bilateral Investment Treaties: Towards a return of the State in the settlement of disputes?” held in the Orozco Room at The New School. New School President David Van Zandt and Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations Jorge Dotta introduced her. For more information about the public lecture follow this link.