Theory of International Law

Introduction: Confronting the “Double Erasure”  As the dust of explosions settles over the Gaza Strip, a profound realization dawns upon the survivors: the destruction is not merely physical. It is a systematic attempt to tear the memory of the place, uproot victims from their human context, and dissolve them into silent, anonymous statistics. This “double erasure”—of…

“You know, because a boat landed there 500 years ago and then left, that doesn’t give you title.” So said the American President upon departing for Davos. It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump challenges Denmark’s title to Greenland. A favorite tactic of real estate magnates is to strip the owner’s title to property they…

The recent post by Daniel Bodansky and Suan Biniaz on the possible chilling effects of the ICJ’s advisory opinion on climate change, as well as the recent ruminations on the state of the world  and the implications this has for international law, present an opportunity to think about international environmental law more generally. Not because…

The United Nations Charter entered into force eighty years ago on 24 October 1945.  Eighty years is a long life for a world order. Empires, like people, rarely last much longer. Every empire, every world order, moves through recognisable phases. There is the founding impulse – violent, visionary, unifying – when new institutions are hewn…