Trade

The last fortnight has seen commentators focus primarily on conflict, climate, and immigration. A mini-symposium has ranged over a number of legal questions raised by a potential Russia-Ukraine peace treaty: from  VCLT rules on treaty validity and security guarantees, to free economic zones and the question of the reconstruction of Ukraine through seized assets of the Russian Central…

Economic coercion remains ill-defined in international law, but its importance is growing ever more evident by the day. At various points, for example, a negotiated settlement to the US-Iran War has reportedly been blocked in key part by disagreements over $24 billion in assets frozen by the US Office of…

In April 2026, relations between Ukraine and Israel were shaken by a considerable diplomatic crisis. In contrast to Ukraine’s recent quarrel with Hungary over the (likely illegal) interception and seizure of a Ukrainian money transport by Hungarian authorities, this dispute was not preceded by years of deteriorating bilateral relations. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of…

In a slightly extended version of Two Weeks in Review, we take in fundamental questions about what happens when law and lawyers seek or refuse to justify illegal actions, “relocation orders” issued by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, Australian soldiers and Belgian consular officials in domestic courts for international crimes, the…