Threat of force

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Two nodes of interaction between AI and the obligation to respect state sovereignty

October 2, 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI) is interacting in ever more complex ways with the sovereignty of states. On the one hand, AI technologies are beginning to underpin key sectors and services, including national security, the economy, healthcare. Consequently – and unsurprisingly – states are seeking to protect AI capabilities and the data infrastructure they rely on. The UK, for instance, designated data centres as critical national infrastructure in 2024 and is planning to designate them as essential services. Such designations play an important role in domestic law – imposing, among others, obligations of risk mitigation and notification on operators of designated infrastructure. These designations may also play a role under international law. Considering AI tools and infrastructure as critical infrastructure or an essential service may affect the application of obligations deriving from state sovereignty.

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Codifying Coercion: Iran’s “New Legal Regime” and the Law of International Straits

April 20, 2026

The Legal Novelty of the Proposal  International commentary on the Strait of Hormuz crisis has focused, understandably, on the lawfulness of Iran’s closure. The more legally significant development has received comparatively little analysis: Iran’s stated intention to revise the legal order governing it on a continuing basis. On April 5, Deputy Presidential Chief of Staff Mehdi Tabatabaei…

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U.S.’s moves to label Brazilian crime syndicates as “terrorist organizations”: a prelude to the use of force?

March 18, 2026

On March 6th, 2026, the United States re-ignited their pressure on Brazil to designate two major Brazilian crime syndicates, PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) and Comando Vermelho, as “terrorist organizations”. In this post, I will introduce the U.S. practice to label Latin American drug syndicates “terrorist organizations”, and outline how this raises issues in relation…

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The Prohibitions of Threat of Force Revisited: Greenland, Credibility and International Law

January 26, 2026

In the beginning of January, following reported United States actions against Venezuela and threats by President Trump against Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, there were renewed statements by President Trump regarding the annexation of Greenland. President Trump stated that “we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security". On 6 January, it was reported that the…

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The Davos Trap on Greenland

January 23, 2026

The dispute about Greenland has been conducted by the US as a zero-sum game. Either ‘ownership’ over Greenland would be handed over to Washington, or else economic sanctions or worse would be applied to Denmark and her European allies. It was all or nothing until earlier this week.  There is a general sense that NATO…

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