Those who had hoped for a more auspicious start to the new year for multilateralism were quickly disillusioned by recent developments concerning Venezuela, Greenland and beyond. Simultaneously, the United States (US) President contended that he ‘doesn’t need international law’ but is guided instead by his ‘own morality’.

Since COVID-19 developed into a global crisis, scholars have argued about the possibility of suing China for its role in the spread of the pandemic (see e.g. here). On the international level, scholars have identified several legal bases on which to pursue claims, most notably Arts. 6 and 7 of the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR)…