Global security and other reasons you should care about international law
International law prohibits wars between states. This is a fundamental rule in the Charter of the United Nations, which was signed in 1945, following World War II.
While numerous wars have been fought in the intervening 80 years, the international system that was set up gives states ample opportunities to resolve conflicts peacefully and exerts a strong pressure on them to do so. We have gone from a world where it was commonplace for states to start wars in order to conquer territory to a world where this has largely been taboo.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its annexation of Ukrainian territory and Israel’s annexation of Palestinian and Syrian territories both threaten to change this. A world where wars of conquest are again normalized is a less secure world.
The panel will discuss this current topic. Issues like what role international courts play to enhance global security and respond to security threats, and whether international law is helpless in the face of politics and the interests of powerful states will also be discussed.