The fabric of international law

What tools, materials and/or practices, rarely thought about as primary elements of international legal practice, are nevertheless integral and potentially co-constitutive elements of international law?

International lawyers are regularly faced with the need to interact with practices, tools and materials which are often obscured in their training and scholarship, but that can play a pivotal role in the formation and workings of the ‘family of professions’ that is international law.[1] Think of a member of counsel in a maritime dispute faced with interpreting specialised maritime cartography, or the awareness of the contemporary international lawyer to the growing instantaneity with which they may be expected to respond to international legal developments – whether through open-letters, quick reactionary blog posts and/or a social media presence. In terms of practices, consider how international legal institutions have been shown to rely on management tools, such as strategic plans, audits and mission statements in their everyday functioning, showing the potential for law and management to become ‘…intertwined, reciprocally conditioning and constituting one another.’[2]

This seminar series will explore this entanglement between what we consider to be expected elements of international legal practice, and what many may consider extra-legal factors, to further explore the fabric of international law.

Format:

The series will be held at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut and consist of regular interactive seminars, where academics and practitioners can exchange their research and experiences, reflecting on the role that ‘extra-legal’ tools, materials and practices play in forming the fabric of international law. The seminars will be held in person, with the possibility for speakers to join via video-link when travelling to the institute is not possible.

Attendance is by invitation. Should you wish to join a specific seminar, please send an email with your name, affiliation and a few lines on which seminar from the programme you are interested in joining and why to c.lewis@asser.nl.

Schedule:

  • Management tools at the International Criminal Court ​
    17 October 2024 | 16:00-17:00
    • Dr Richard Clements ​
    • Dr Thomas Henquet ​
  • Migration deals​
    28 ​November 2024 | 16:00-17:30 ​
    • Dr Annick Pijnenburg ​
    • Ms Kris van der Pas​
  • Don't look [down]! The ahistorical space of international law ​
    11 December 2024 | 15:00-16:00
    • Prof Nikolas Rajkovic

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[1] J d’Aspremont, T Gazzini, A Nollkaemper and W Werner, ‘Introduction’ in J d’Aspremont, T Gazzini, A Nollkaemper and W Werner, International Law as a Profession (CUP 2017) 1.

[2] R Clements, The Justice Factory: Management practices at the International Criminal Court (CUP 2024) 10.