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 ...
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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
Breaking the impasse: towards a new convention to prevent and punish Crimes against humanity. by Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga and Natalia Jiménez Alegría Published on 21 April 2025 Photo Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías Background The mandate on the progressive development and codification contained in article 13 of the UN Charter has historically been a priority for …
Duterte in the Hague tests Philippine engagement with international criminal law by Ruby Rosselle L. Tugade Published on 11 April 2025 The dramatic circumstances surrounding Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and extradition to the Hague last month for alleged crimes against humanity generated various discussions on his arrest’s propriety under the legal regime of the International Criminal …
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The Prospect of a Fragmented Legal Regime of Mining of Seabed Mineral Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone By Digvijay Rewatkar Published on 7 April 2025 Introduction As the politics of climate change oscillates between its striking effects and denialism, the global energy, technological industry and minerals supply chains have been under a shift. For …
Sudan v. United Arab Emirates: Short-lived but Meaningful? By Juliette McIntyre Published on 4 April 2025 Introduction Since 2013, Sudan has faced a catastrophic civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (‘RSF’). In 2024, the RSF was accused of committing genocide in respect of its attacks against the Masalit …
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May the United States Unilaterally Conduct or Regulate Activities in the Area According to International Law? By Eduardo Cavalcanti de Mello Filho Published on 4 April 2025 https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/53593818135/in/photostream/ On 27 March 2025, The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian company, announced that its US subsidiary will apply for exploitation permits under the US 1980 Deep Seabed …
International Fisheries as the ‘Whale in the Room’ at the BBNJ Negotiations By Dr Ethan Beringen Published on 11 March 2025 The successful conclusion of the negotiations for the new treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) was a significant achievement in international law making. This is especially …
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The United Nations General Assembly advances towards the negotiation of a Convention on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters By Lucía Solano Legal adviser at the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN Published on 10 March 2025 In what constituted a historic moment for the codification and progressive development of international …
Non-recognition of Unconstitutional Changes of Government: From African Union to ASEAN By Dr Trung Q.T. Nguyen Published on 2 March 2025 In the pre-dawn hours of 1 February 2021, military vehicles rolled into Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw. Senior civilian leaders were detained, and by sunrise, the Tatmadaw had declared a state of emergency, effectively terminating the …
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Timor-Leste’s Upcoming Membership to ASEAN: Clearer Guidance Needed By Johan Pahlepi Published on 2 March 2025 Image credit: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (orthographic projection). The map has been created with the Generic Mapping Tools: https://www.generic-mapping-tools.org/ using one or more of these public-domain datasets for the relief. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons …
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A New Beginning for International Benefit-Sharing? Harmonising and Complying with Rules on Digital Sequence Information by Adam Strobeyko Published on 23 February 2025 Opening Plenary of the HL Segment – Peace with Nature at COP16. The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will convene in …
Massive Pollution, States’ Positive Obligations and Remedies Critical Appraisal of the European Court of Human Rights’ Cannavacciuolo et al. v. Italy Judgment By Hélène Tigroudja Published on 23 February 2025 In a very detailed judgment of almost 200 pages and more than 500 paragraphs, a Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (the ‘Court’) …
DeepSeek’s AI Disruption: Implications for Global Climate Policy on Digital Decarbonisation, Energy Transitions and International Law by Jon Truby Published on 8 February 2025 Background The US President’s announcement of flagship $500 billion Stargate AI project with OpenAI was trumped a day later by a little-known Chinese start-up, DeepSeek, which shocked the tech world and …
The Azerbaijan–Armenia Lawfare Goes Ahead: Contrasting the Twin Judgements on Preliminary Objections within the Constellation of Inter-State Legal Proceedings by Kei Nakajima (Associate Professor of International Law, University of Tokyo) Published on 21 January 2025 On 12 November 2024, the International Court of Justice (‘the Court’) delivered two judgments on preliminary objections raised by Armenia …
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ Expansion of Jus Cogens and the Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Aggravated State Responsibility by Diego Enrique Uribe Bustamante (Adjunct Professor, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México) Last 18 November 2024, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR or ‘the Court’) published a landmark decision in the case of Pueblos …
Just Transitions and the UN Secretary-General’s Panel Critical Energy Transition Minerals Recommendations on “Resourcing The Energy Transition Principles to Guide Critical Energy Transition Minerals Towards Equity and Justice” by Railla Puno (Associate Lead, Climate Change Law and Policy, CIL) and Danielle Yeow (Lead, Climate Change Law and Policy, CIL) With acknowledgements and thanks to Rayson …
Addressing the Criticisms against the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime by Nguyen Thanh Trung Cybercrime is a crisis brought about in the digital age. A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (‘UNODC’) estimates financial losses between US$18 billion and US$37 billion from cyber scams targeting victims in East and Southeast …
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Key contentions at the Hearings on the ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change By Danilo B. Garrido Alves and Efstathios-Effraim Giannidakis Published on 3 January 2025 Between 3 and 13 December, over 100 States and international organisations appeared before the International Court of Justice (some of which—such as Barbados, Sierra Leone, the Cook Islands, Micronesia, …
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Symposium: 125 years of the Permanent Court of Arbitration: A Retrospective and exploration of New Frontiers The distinctive role of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in shaping the future of international dispute resolution by Celine Lange Published on 12 December 2024 Panellists at the Singapore Commemorative Event on the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of …
Symposium: 125 years of the Permanent Court of Arbitration: A Retrospective and exploration of New Frontiers A PCA for the Next Century by Wenlan Yang Published on 12 December 2024 The third panel of the commemorative event held in Singapore on 25 July 2024 for the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) featured …
Symposium: 125 years of the Permanent Court of Arbitration: A Retrospective and exploration of New Frontiers Innovations in Dispute Resolution: the PCA and Singapore on the Cutting Edge by Daniel Pakpahan Published on 12 December 2024 The second panel of the commemorative event held in Singapore on 25 July 2024 for the 125th anniversary of the …
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Symposium: 125 years of the Permanent Court of Arbitration: A Retrospective and exploration of New Frontiers The Permanent Court of Arbitration through the Ages by Liyuan Feng Published on 12 December 2024 In 2024, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) celebrates 125 years of existence. The PCA was established by the Convention for the Pacific …
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The ICC arrest warrants in the Palestine Situation: double standards, limitations and opportunities By Alessandra Spadaro Published on 11 December 2024 On 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the first arrest warrants for crimes committed in the Situation in the State of Palestine. The warrants of arrest for …
Milieudefensie et al. v. Shell: Analysis and Commentary of the Hague Court of Appeal’s Decision By Jolene Lin Published on 18 November 2024 On 12 November 2024, the Hague Court of Appeal handed down its much-anticipated decision in Milieudefensie et al. v. Shell (commonly referred to as the ‘Shell climate case’). The case revolves around …
Benefit v Consent: CJEU’s Front Polisario II Judgment and the Law of Self-Determination By Andrea Maria Pelliconi and Jed Odermatt Published on 15 November 2024 On 4 October 2024, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found that fisheries and trade agreements concluded between the European Union (EU) and …
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