tegan brink
Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar
“The creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 was arguably the most significant advance in multilateralism since the period of institution building following the end of the Second World War, and one in which the U.S. and Australia played a leading role.”
Tegan Brink, a University of Sydney graduate with Honours degrees in Arts (Government) and Law, has won a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship to undertake a Masters of Laws (LLM) at Columbia University in New York. She will undertake subjects focusing on international economic law when she begins her studies in August 2008.
Tegan’s research, Coherence in the International Legal Order: Managing Globalisation through Law will look at the relationship between WTO law, preferential trade agreements and growing areas of global governance, such as the environment. The implications of these relationships for treaty development and dispute settlement will be a focus. The research draws strongly on the professional experience she has gained as a diplomat posted with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to Geneva, Switzerland.
“My interest in this study program is anchored in a strong belief in the important role of trade in the achievement of broader social and political goals. It also reflects what I see as the increasing challenge of coherence in international law in the context of globalisation. For an outward-oriented economy like Australia’s, how these governance challenges are managed is critical. Developing international law in a way that supports positive environmental outcomes for example, while upholding the fundamental principles of the rules-based international trading system, will be a priority for Australian policy makers.” Tegan said.
“The goals of my study program are to deepen my understanding of these governance challenges with a view to increasing Australian expertise and the development of policy responses. Columbia’s outstanding international law credentials and interdisciplinary approach to teaching, as well as the U.S. political and institutional setting, will provide an ideal framework for the fulfilment of these goals”.
On her return from the U.S., Tegan aims to become a legal specialist with the Australian Government, sharing her experiences through contributions to policy-making, submissions in dispute settlement proceedings, and through outreach and advocacy to business and civil society.
During her studies, Tegan received a number of academic awards including: a University Medal, (2001); Government Honours Scholarship (1999); Chancellor’s Scholarship for Overseas Study (University of Leiden, the Netherlands) (1998); Pitt Cobbett and C A Hardwick Prizes for Proficiency in Constitutional Law (2002); and Overseas Study Scholarship (2000).