Greenland, Ukraine, Venezuela, Gaza, NATO, the EU in Civilizational Decline, NATO defunct: our recent headlines might lead us to question the state of the international legal order (ILO). To be sure in recent decades, the international legal system has made significant strides—from landmark agreements like the Paris Climate Accords to the ongoing role of the International Court of Justice—nevertheless global cooperation seems increasingly undermined by rising nationalism and power-driven politics. International commitments are often pushed aside in favor of national interests, leading to violations of core treaties and charters. The Trump administration drives much of the disruption to the international legal order (ILO) but it is not alone; Russia, China, India, Turkey advance a power politics that many describe as a return to 19th century national imperialism. As a transnational project, the EU stands out in this moment that might be the emergence of a Neo-nationalist world ordering. This talk takes the moment to look back on the history of the ILO with a special focus on Europe’s role in it. Starting with the emergence of the ILO out of the ashes of WWII the European project played a central role in shaping the institutions, treaties, conventions. Reviewing the history, its successes and failures, will allow us to consider what are the (positive) potentials that may arise in the coming years.
Livestream: https://meet.google.com/vem-wpvq-xur