CIL Dialogues is the re-imagination of the existing blog of the Centre for International Law (CIL) of the National University of Singapore (NUS). The editorial team’s approach to CIL Dialogues reflects two shared commitments. First, we share a generalist perspective of international law, viewed as raising shared foundational questions across specialised fields, institutions, regions, and inquiries. Secondly, we are appreciative that CIL Dialogues is not based in (the virtual space of), or associated with institutions in the ‘Western European and Others States Group’. The blog will therefore be interested in international law broadly conceived and seek to be attentive to regional perspectives to questions of universal and general relevance, particularly relating to Asia Pacific, as well as the views and voices that may have been traditionally excluded. More...
Featured Symposium ...
Symposium | Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law at 20 Searching for a middle ground? The Reception of Imperialism, Sovereignty, and the Making of International Law in China By Dr. Lin Zhaoran Since its publication two decades ago, Anthony Anghie’s Imperialism, Sovereignty, and the Making of International Law (ISMIL) has had profound impact around the …
Symposium | Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law at 20 A Critique Of Postcolonial Sovereignty: Perspectives from Jammu and Kashmir By Sahiba Maqbool Introduction On the 20th anniversary of the publication of Antony Anghie’s Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law, this blog post reflects on the enduring significance of his work in the …
Symposium | Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law at 20 The Law Was Never Meant to Protect Us By Zeina Jallad In Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law, Anthony Anghie shows how Third World sovereignty was forged through the colonial encounter and became a retarding force, making it difficult to undo colonial legacies. …
The Law Was Never Meant to Protect Us By Zeina Jallad Read More »
Symposium | Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law at 20 Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International Law at 20 by Ntina Tzouvala and Wanshu Cong Published on 12 November 2025 We live in dangerous, disorientating times characterised by the global resurgence of authoritarianism, ethno-nationalism and xenophobia. As we are finalising this note, …
From Nairobi to Geneva: An Appraisal of the Global Plastic Treaty Negotiation Processes and the Road Ahead By Dr Liu Yulu Published on 17 September 2025 Plastic pollution has been found in places as high as the Himalayas and as deep as the Mariana Trench. Moreover, microplastics have been discovered in human bodies. Plastics can …
Filling the Gap in Liability and Compensation for Alternative Fuel Spills from Ships By Joel Ong, Centre for International Law, NUS (formerly) LLM Candidate, Harvard Law School (present) jong@llm26.law.harvard.edu The shipping industry is betting big on alternative fuels for its energy transition. Based on the 2024 orderbook, over 1700 vessels have been ordered with alternative …
Filling the Gap in Liability and Compensation for Alternative Fuel Spills from Ships Read More »
The AANZFTA Upgrade: E-Commerce Enhancements (Part 2) By Miguel Jaime Encarnacion Published on 29 August 2025 The second installment of this series discusses electronic commerce (e-commerce) under the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA). Focusing on regulatory aspects, this blog follows its development from the original 2009 AANZFTA to its Second Protocol …
The AANZFTA Upgrade: E-Commerce Enhancements (Part 2) Read More »
The ICJ Advisory Opinion and the Energy Transition Mandate By Dr Mohammad Hazrati Published on 14 August 2025 Finally, the long-awaited Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States regarding climate change has been delivered. The Opinion exceeds expectations and can confidently be described as a turning point, not …
The ICJ Advisory Opinion and the Energy Transition Mandate Read More »
Open the Floodgates: Standing for the Enforcement of Obligations Erga Omnes in the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change By Priya Urs Published on 11 August 2025 [Several themes discussed are elaborated in forthcoming articles in the British Yearbook of International Law and the International and Comparative Law Quarterly.] The International Court of Justice (ICJ, …
Commentary on Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever Peace and International Law – Some TWAIL Reflections By Antony Anghie Published on 30 July 2025 This collection of essays illuminates the rich, complex, multi-dimensional, contradictory relationships between peace on one hand, and international law and relations on the …
Seven Groundbreaking Insights from the Inter-American Court’s Climate Advisory Opinion By Dr Mohammad Hazrati Published on 22 July 2025 Introduction On May 29, 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) delivered its Advisory Opinion OC-32/25, requested by Chile and Colombia, addressing States’ obligations to respond to the climate emergency within the framework of international …
Seven Groundbreaking Insights from the Inter-American Court’s Climate Advisory Opinion Read More »
Commentary on Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever By Patricia Galvão Teles Published on 18 July 2025 At the time the world’s attention is so focused on war and conflict, it is important to remember and think about peace. The history of humankind has been filled with …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever A Message of International Law and Peace by Tommy Koh The wish above all other wishes is for peace. The opposite of peace is war. As some one who lived through the Second World War and the occupation of Singapore by …
A Message of International Law and Peace by Tommy Koh Read More »
The AANZFTA Upgrade: The Three New Chapters (Part 1) By Miguel Jaime Encarnacion Published on 9 July 2025 The Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) entered into force on 21 April 2025. Regarded as one of ASEAN’s most progressive Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), it is the latest …
The AANZFTA Upgrade: The Three New Chapters (Part 1) Read More »
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Brokering Peace The ASEAN Way of Peace-Making by Johan Pahlepi Introduction Since ASEAN’s establishment in 1967 by the five founding nations Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, ASEAN has moved incisively towards cooperation and integration to stabilise a region once marked …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Brokering Peace For a Free and United Europe Building Integration, Ensuring Peace by Vincenzo Elia “In Peace, Sons bury their Fathers. In War, Fathers bury their Sons.” Herodotus The European Union’s Birthday “Europe Day” commemorates the Schuman declaration of 9 May …
For a Free and United Europe Building Integration, Ensuring Peace Read More »
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Brokering Peace Regional Human Rights Courts as Peacebuilders by Hélène Tigroudja In its Judgment Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan (2017) dealing with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the European Court of Human Rights affirmed that: It is the responsibility of the …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Brokering Peace Peace Through Law: A Tale of Two Courts by Yang Wenlan & Celine Lange The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—thereafter “the courts”—are widely viewed as symbols of peace and justice. Since their …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Building Peace Re-reading Article 39 of the UN Charter in the Language of Peace by Hla Yadanar Win Article 24 of the UN Charter grants the UNSC the ‘primary’ responsibility for the ‘maintenance of international peace and security,’ and its drafting history …
Re-reading Article 39 of the UN Charter in the Language of Peace Read More »
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Building Peace Multiple Provisional Measures Requests before the ICJ: A Facilitator or Obstacle for Peace Processes? by Onur Uraz The International Court of Justice (ICJ), as the only judicial organ referred to in the UN Charter, is designed to be the apex …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Building Peace The Architects of Peace: Studying the Involvement of Non-State Actors in Peace Processes by Trisha Unnikrishnan The traditional conception of international law as norms concerned only with the conduct of States is slowly eroding. There is growing recognition that its …
The Architects of Peace: Studying the Involvement of Non-State Actors in Peace Processes Read More »
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Building Peace What Role for International Law in Ensuring Women’s Participation in Peace Processes and Beyond? by Julia Vassileva This piece, guided by the question “What role does international law play in ensuring participation of women in peace processes?”, examines the significant …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Manufacturing Peace Seeking Digital Peace and Security in a World of Quantum Uncertainty by Jon Truby Opportunities for peace in the Quantum Era United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/78/287 declares 2025 to be the International Year of Quantum Science and …
Seeking Digital Peace and Security in a World of Quantum Uncertainty Read More »
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Manufacturing Peace The Right to Peace: From Proclamation to Human Right by Elena Pribytkova It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it. Eleanor …
The Right to Peace: From Proclamation to Human Right Read More »
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Manufacturing Peace UNCLOS: An Instrument for Peace by Nilüfer Oral The ocean is a single, continuous body of water that connects continents, peoples, cultures and nature. For centuries it has provided humanity with sustenance and fluid highways of communication, making …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever | Manufacturing Peace Asia’s Peace-Conflict Continuum by Rashmi Raman & Samuel White International law is framed in a binary construct: peace, and conflict. Although the primary position of international law is to promote peace, the concept is fragile. There is risk …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever by Nilüfer Oral and Rashmi Raman As the world watches missiles being hurled across the skies, bombs falling on hapless civilians, as the destruction of war becomes …
Remembering Peace in a Time of War: Why International Law Matters More Than Ever Read More »
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, President Trump’s proposal for ownership transfer, and liability for nuclear damages By Jakub Handrlica Published on 23 June 2025 Introduction Nuclear power plants (NPP, NPPs) generate approximately half of Ukraine’s electricity. There are two reactors at the Khmelnytskyi NPP, four reactors at the Rivne NPP, three reactors at the South …
Bridging the Regulatory Gap in the Area Regime: Unilateral Deep Seabed Mining Claims and the Complementary Role of National Laws By Yavuz Arda Yakut and Anaïs Rémont Published on 23 June 2025 Introduction On 29th April 2025, The Metals Company (‘TMC’), a Canadian-based deep-sea mining firm, announced that it had officially applied for exploration licenses …
Coercion without Invasion: Trump, Greenland, and the Erosion of International Law By Janakan Muthukumar Published on 16 May 2025 Introduction In a recent and troubling development in global affairs, U.S. President Donald Trump has once again revived his ambition to acquire Greenland—this time with a sharper, more coercive tone. What was once presented as a …
Coercion without Invasion: Trump, Greenland, and the Erosion of International Law Read More »
Symposium | Symposium on the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes The OTP’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes: Opportunities and Challenges By Florentina Pircher Published on 16 May 2025 The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recently published its ‘Draft Policy on Cyber-enabled Crimes under the …
The OTP’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes: Opportunities and Challenges Read More »
Symposium | Symposium on the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes Jurisdictional Questions Arising from the Office of the Prosecutor’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes at the International Criminal Court By Kenneth Chan Yoon Onn Published on 14 May 2025 Just shy of two years since the Office of the Prosecutor …
Symposium | Symposium on the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes Introduction to the Symposium on the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s ‘Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute’ By Priya Urs Published on 13 May 2025 In a statement issued on 7 March 2025, the Office of the …
Symposium | Symposium on the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes Cyber-Enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute: Interactions with the UN OEWG Process by Stephany Aw Published on 13 May 2025 The Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute (the Draft Policy) represents recent efforts by the Office of …
Cyber-Enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute: Interactions with the UN OEWG Process Read More »
The Road to a Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity by Ana Paula Lavalle Arroyo and Sergio E. Delgado Fernández Published on 26 April 2025 Background A previous contribution to this journal, here chronicled the complex uphill process that culminated in the adoption of General Assembly resolution 79/122 (2024), which …
Symposium | Symposium on the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes The Best of Intentions: Comment on the ICC’s Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes and the Absence of Mens Rea and AI Considerations by Christine Carpenter Published on 15 May 2025 The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s recent Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled …