Security Council

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The Expiry of MINURSO’s Mandate, Western Sahara, and the Foundations of International Law

November 5, 2026

Last Friday, on 30 October 2026, the UN Security Council failed to renew the mandate of the UN’s Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), bringing to an end an international presence that has lasted since 1991. In terms of immediate consequences, this could have considerable ramifications on the ground, risking an escalation of the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front and potentially destabilising fragile political arrangements in the Sahel. From a longer-term perspective, this vote should be understood as the product of a gradual erosion of the law and language of decolonization at the UN, and a broader shift in position among European and African states brought about through concerted Moroccan diplomacy. Whether we take the short or the long lens, both pull into focus a deeper concern about the function of communitarian norms in an international community of states and peoples—and what their individual violation and institutional devaluation risks for all. Western Sahara, MINURSO, and two proposals Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony and a non-self-governing territory.

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Red lines in a grey zone: the validity of a Russia-Ukraine peace treaty under international law

July 13, 2026

While peace still appears remote, the prospect of a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine raises difficult questions concerning the international law governing inter-state peace treaties. The unlawfulness of Russia’s use of force and the peace plans proposed to date point to issues of validity, particularly under Articles 46, 52 and 53 of the Vienna Convention…

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A peace treaty for Ukraine: Mini-symposium on international legal issues

July 10, 2026

In the four years since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the prospects of a negotiated peace settlement have waxed but mostly waned. But the possibility of an agreement has been an ongoing focus for international lawyers. This is primarily because Russia has demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine that appear at odds with…

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The Dismantling of UN Peace Operations under the Trump Administration

February 10, 2026

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’.

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Beyond Residual Functions: The IRMCT, the ‘Stateless Eight’, and the Human Rights Obligations of Security Council Subsidiaries

January 27, 2026

On 10 December 2025, the Security Council once again debated the future of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). As in previous sessions, delegations diverged sharply in their assessments of the tribunal: France, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Korea underscored the importance of retaining international authority over things like sentence enforcement and early…

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