International Law

International criminal justice is, by common consent, to at least some degree, victors’ justice. Some have argued, however, that victors’ justice might be giving way, over time, to a more universal justice also capable of holding victors accountable. This hopeful notion is often held up by others as a specifically liberal delusion. In my current project, however, I hope to use the examples of leftist “civil society tribunals” from the late Cold War to show that this idea - delusional or not - was once actually more popular amongst radical critics of the liberal international legal mainstream. Liberals, in this period, could thus be the “realists.” I conclude that geo-political realities do not only produce victors’ justice, they explain ideological responses towards it. They have changed how double standards are perceived.

While each post focuses on distinct contexts and frameworks, several overarching themes emerge. First, the posts reveal divergent conceptualizations and applications of the concepts of double standards in international legal practice, which in turn raises further questions about how best to examine the role of double standards in fields as disparate as international economic and criminal law. Second, the posts underscore the tension between the ideals of universality and the realities of power in international law: whether in the Human Rights Council, international criminal tribunals, or through state practice, double standards reveal the gap between abstract normative aspirations and political constraints that undermine consistent and principled action in specific cases. Third, the posts begin to identify the rhetorical and practical tools used to navigate or exploit this tension. From Esponda’s exploration of argumentative strategies to Schüller’s critique of procedural openings, the posts show how states and institutions justify selective actions while striving to maintain legitimacy. Fourth, some posts broach the question to what extent double standards are a remediable aspect of practice or, alternatively, an unavoidable feature of the international legal system.

The 10th Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) is scheduled to take place in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, in 9-10 October 2025. Hosted by the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, this event aims to provide a platform for intellectual exchange among scholars, practitioners, students, and individuals interested in international law.

International law applies to the interchanging relationships and rules between states, including the establishment of norms and standards which govern their activities. This changing landscape of international law is recognised in one of the introductory paragraphs of this book: ‘international law possess an inherent transformative power to renew and remake itself if we are committed to reimagining the discipline and its fundamental characteristics, including the concept of sustainable development’ (pg 2). Sustainable development (SD) has been an integral part of international law discourse before the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE) and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Hence, this book focuses on the ahistoricism and influence of international law on the environment and sustainable development in African legal systems through a Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) lens.

A webinar presented by the IBA Poverty and Social Development Committee, supported by the IBA Academic and Professional Development, the IBA Access to Legal Aid Committee and the Human Rights Research and Education Center, University of Ottawa, Canada.

Dr. Godwin Dzah’s thought-provoking book investigates the actual and potential contributions of Africa and its peoples, including through their rich worldviews, to the making and doing of international law, treating sustainable development as a microcosm. At its core is a vision to deploy Africa’s Indigenous worldviews to reimagine sustainable development, advance thinking on how it should be applied in international law going forward.

I am very happy to introduce the symposium on my book, Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies, by Cambridge University Press in May 2024. This symposium features four very thoughtful and critical reviews. These four reflections should be read as companion pieces together with my introduction. They address different aspects of the book, provide points of convergence and divergence, and foreshadow future research. I am grateful to these reviewers for their kind engagement with my book, for their constructive criticisms and positive feedback. I am equally grateful to the editors of AfronomicsLaw.org for curating this symposium.

The African Society of International Law (AfSIL) is pleased to invite paper proposals for its fourteenth annual conference on the theme “Africa, Culture, and International Law.”

Therefore, it is important to analyse the impact of these International Financial Institutions in the development of African countries which they operate in. It is also necessary to assess their accountability mechanisms and legal personalities in line with International Law, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Human Rights Impact Assessments of Economic Reforms. This is because their regulation and compliance with International Standards and International Law is an important and contemporary area which would inform their effectiveness and their contribution to sustainable development while considering the UN 2030 Agenda and 2063 Agenda for Africa.

The Research Center for International Legal Studies of National Chengchi University and the Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law will hold the 2025 ILA-ASIL Asia-Pacific Research Forum at Howard Civil Service International House in Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. The theme of the Research Forum is “Sustainable International Law.” ​​