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Christopher Nolan and International Law

July 16, 2026

Sand Tomorrow, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will come clattering into cinemas around the world. There will no doubt be talk of plotlines, performances, accents, and fidelity to the source text—perhaps even some mentions of the curious absence of Greek actors. There is less likely to be talk about sand. But the sand is important. It points us to the film’s indirect involvement in one of the last century’s longest and most successful projects of territorial annexation. Parts of Nolan’s production were filmed on the dunes near Dakhla, a coastal town in occupied Western Sahara and a focal point for Morocco’s ongoing policies to deepen its cultural, economic, and demographic control over the territory. The issue went through the press in July 2025 (here, here, and here), and prompted a petition signed by some 900 artists, journalists, academics, and activists—among them Sahrawi human rights defender ElGhalia Djimi, Greta Thunberg, Javier Bardem, and Pedro Almodóvar. The background…

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The FIDE’s gambit: what if gender-based categorization became the exception in international competitions?

April 21, 2025

Having just been appointed to the highest office in world sport on March 20, Kirsty Coventry is expected to address many issues: the organization of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the choice of venue for the 2036 Olympic Games, questions about the evolution of the Winter Olympic Games in light of the climate crisis, etc. But…

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Keeping the Flame Alive? IOC Elections and their Impact on Global Governance

April 18, 2025

The Olympic Movement has recently experienced its own Habemus papam moment. After a 12-year mandate, Thomas Bach announced his intention to step down from his position as President of the International Olympic Committee (‘IOC’) this year. Much has been made of the secrecy and lobbying that accompanies the election and creates resemblances with the papal conclave. Coupled…

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States’ International Obligation(s) to Repeal Domestic Legislations Incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights

December 4, 2024

On 22 October 2024 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or ‘the Court’) issued a landmark judgment in the case of Kobaliya and Others v. Russia. It found that the Russian legislation on ‘foreign agents’ – imposing huge restrictions on the rights of Russian non-governmental organisations, media organisations and individuals designated as ‘foreign agents’ – breached…

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Why the ECtHR’s Grand Chamber should rule on the independence and impartiality of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in its Semenya judgment

October 28, 2024

As we await the upcoming judgment from the Grand Chamber (GC) of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the Semenya v. Switzerland case, among the various issues at hand, one question seems to be interesting from a legal point of view, despite its absence from the judgment of the Chamber: the issue of the independence and…

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