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 ...
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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Symposium | Building Resilience: Advancing Local R&D and Production of Health Products in the WHO Pandemic Agreement Decoding Technology Transfer in the Proposed WHO Pandemic Accord By Kashish Aneja Published on 14 November 2024 Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in global preparedness, particularly in the equitable access and distribution of health technologies like diagnostics, …
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Symposium | Building Resilience: Advancing Local R&D and Production of Health Products in the WHO Pandemic Agreement Navigating the Tensions Between Self-Reliance and Global Cooperation in Pandemic Preparedness By Ronald Eberhard Tundang Published on 13 November 2024 Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the global landscape of pharmaceutical supply chains, exposing critical vulnerabilities and driving …
Symposium | Building Resilience: Advancing Local R&D and Production of Health Products in the WHO Pandemic Agreement The Pandemic Treaty – A Role for Local Capacity in Addressing Vaccine Inequity and Lack of Access? By Nicole D. Foster Published on 12 November 2024 The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus’ August 14 …
Symposium | Building Resilience: Advancing Local R&D and Production of Health Products in the WHO Pandemic Agreement Research and Development in the Pandemic Agreement: Self-Limiting Treatymaking By Pedro A. Villarreal Published on 11 November 2024 The rapidness with which new vaccines were developed against COVID-19 is often touted as a success story of scientific discovery. What …
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Symposium | Building Resilience: Advancing Local R&D and Production of Health Products in the WHO Pandemic Agreement Building Resilience: Advancing Local R&D and Production of Health Products in the WHO Pandemic Agreement Introduction to the Symposium By Ayelet Berman Published on 11 November 2024 “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; …
Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice The politics of facts before the International Court of Justice By Ana Luísa Bernardino Published on 23 October 2024 There was a time in the history of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the years immediately following its establishment and, most acutely, in the aftermath …
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Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice’s intrinsic powers to decide all cases brought before it By Ambassador Carlos Argüello Published on 22 October 2024 This symposium invites us to reflect on the proliferation of cases concerning “high politics” adjudicated at the International Court of Justice (ICJ or …
Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice The Power of the World Court Unleashed: The Chagos Archipelago Advisory Opinion and Decolonisation By Trung Nguyen Published on 21 October 2024 British colonialism marked a dark page in humankind’s history and it still haunts us today like the ghost of Hamlet’s father. The story of …
Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice The Rohingya Crisis at the ICJ: Caught between Legal Technicalities and Limits of the Court By Emraan Azad Assistant Professor in Law, Bangladesh University of Professionals Published on 18 October 2024 The crisis in relation to the protection of the Rohingya has two dimensions: one is …
Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice High Politics and the International Court of Justice By Gleider Hernández Published on 17 October 2024 The notion of ‘high politics’ in international adjudication is only paradoxical if one insists strictly on a conceptual separation between law and politics. Though the point of law and legal …
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Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice Mega-Political Cases before the ICJ: Transforming a Hegemonic into a Negotiated Order? By Heike Krieger Published on 16 October 2024 In recent years, states have increasingly turned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to adjudicate what one may describe as ‘mega-political’ cases. Such cases concern …
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Symposium: High Politics at the International Court of Justice ‘High Politics’ at the International Court of Justice By Ntina Tzouvala Published on 16 October 2024 It is a long-held position of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it is not precluded from pronouncing on the legal dimensions of a question simply because said question …
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