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 | 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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Combating Biopiracy by Fostering Coordination across the Environment, Intellectual Property and Trade Regimes By Pallavi Arora Published on 5 August 2024 The advent of biotechnology has raised concerns about biopiracy: the utilization of biological resources and traditional knowledge without permission from or compensation to the local communities who are the rightful custodians of these resources …
Symposium: Gravity at the International Criminal Court Gravity at the International Criminal Court: A Response By Priya Urs Published on 8 August 2024 I am grateful to Meg deGuzman, Patryk Labuda and Martha Bradley for generously giving their time to reflect on Gravity at the International Criminal Court. Each of them raises a variety of …
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Symposium: Gravity at the International Criminal Court Gravity at the International Criminal Court: Admissibility and Prosecutorial Discretion by Priya Urs: A significant contribution offering a refreshing guidance towards the assessment of the gravity criterion to insure prosecutorial consistency By Martha M Bradley Published on 8 August 2024 Gravity at the International Criminal Court: Admissibility and …
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Symposium: Gravity at the International Criminal Court Law versus Policy? Exploring the Meaning of Gravity before the International Criminal Court By Patryk I. Labuda Published on 7 August 2024 Priya Urs’ new book is an important contribution to the literature on the International Criminal Court (ICC or Court). In under two hundred pages, she manages …
Symposium: Gravity at the International Criminal Court Faith in Gravity By Margaret M. deGuzman Published on 6 August 2024 The concept of gravity—that some crimes are especially serious—is at the heart of the International Criminal Court (ICC or Court) regime. Among other things, it helps to determine which situations and cases the ICC investigates and …
Symposium: Gravity at the International Criminal Court Gravity at the International Criminal Court: An Introduction By Priya Urs Published on 6 August 2024 I began thinking about the selectivity of the investigation and prosecution of international crimes in 2014, when I worked with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to strengthen its role in monitoring …
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Missed opportunities: WIPO Treaty falls short of protecting Traditional Knowledge By Kriti Sharma Published on 15 July 2024 On May 24, 2024, twenty five years of negotiations culminated in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Diplomatic Conference adopting its first treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and associated Traditional Knowledge (“the treaty”). Developed as a …
Missed opportunities: WIPO Treaty falls short of protecting Traditional Knowledge Read More »
Legality of Cyber Operations in the Israel-Hezbollah War By Mr Hussein Badreddine Published on 23 May 2024 In the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 attack conducted by Hamas and other Palestinian factions, Israel claimed the right of self-defence and began a widespread operation in the Gaza strip. On 8 October 2023, Hezbollah launched rockets …
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Strengthening Global Biosecurity and Biosafety Efforts: The Role of the BWC National Implementation Database in Informing and Guiding National Policies By Dr. Jaroslav Krasny Published on 24 April 2024 The Biological Weapons Convention National Implementation Database (“BWC Database”), developed collaboratively by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Verification Research, Training and …
Environmental Provisions in ASEAN’s Investment Agreements: The Need to Strengthen Member States’ Right to Regulate Environmental Issues By Kim Anh Dao Published on 4 April 2024 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) holds a significant position in the international investment rule-making arena. Alongside treaties concluded by its individual members, ASEAN, as a unified entity, …
The 2023 IMO Assembly Resolution enables States to challenge the ‘Dark Fleet’ that threatens the marine environment By Robert Beckman, Trung Nguyen and Joel Ong Jie Hao Published on 18 March 2024 Disclaimer: This blog post is supported by the MPA-CIL Oceans Governance Research Programme funded by the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI-2023-MA-03). At its thirty-third …
Artificial Intelligence and Article 33.4 VCLT By Tarcisio Gazzini Published on 14 March 2024 Introduction Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to radically change legal education and the legal profession. Suffice it to mention the administration of justice through machines. This comment focuses on a much more specific issue, namely the interpretation of multilingual treaties. Article …
Does breaching UNCLOS invoke the right of self-defence? By Shani Friedman Published on 19 February 2024 Introduction Since October 2023, as part of the Israeli-Hamas war following the October 7 massacre in Israel, the Houthis – an Iranian-backed Yemeni terrorist group – attacked commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea in …
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China’s engagement with the ITLOS climate change advisory proceedings and its strategic formalism in international law By Ryan Martínez Mitchell Published on 6 February 2024 Several months ago, Beijing decided to take a stand against the expansion of advisory opinion jurisdiction to the full International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), as well …
Israel, South Africa and the Power of Genocide By Yusra Suedi Published on 23 January 2024 The International Court of Justice (ICJ, the Court) has increasingly been the theatre for accusations of the crime of genocide. The latest instalment is South Africa’s institution of proceedings against Israel for committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Genocide …
Symposium: The Second World War in Asia: Justice Efforts, War Memory, and Reparations Tokyo Women’s Tribunal – Voices of the Women Working Behind the Scenes (Part Two) Interviews of Indai Sajor, Aurora De Dios, and Susan Macabuag By Aishwarya Arumugham and Lee Jia Ying Published on 19 January 2024 This is part 2 of a two-part blog …
Tokyo Women’s Tribunal – Voices of the Women Working Behind the Scenes (Part Two) Read More »
Symposium: The Second World War in Asia: Justice Efforts, War Memory, and Reparations Tokyo Women’s Tribunal – Voices of the Women Working Behind the Scenes (Part One) Interviews of Indai Sajor, Aurora De Dios, and Susan Macabuag By Aishwarya Arumugham and Lee Jia Ying Published on 19 January 2024 The Tokyo Women’s Tribunal (TWT) was a peoples’ …
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Falepili Union Treaty, statehood and protection of persons in light of sea-level rise: state practice of preserving the status quo? By Rashmi Raman and Daniel Pakpahan Published on 8 January 2024 The Falepili Union Treaty of 9 November 2023 is making waves across reports that comment on the intriguing and possibly trailblazing agreement on climate …
Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law “We’re going wrong” Human rights and constitutionalism after 50 years of Chile’s coup d’État by Jorge Contesse Published on 22 December 2023 Chile has commemorated 50 years of the coup d’état that overthrew the Popular Unity government led by …
Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law Rights, Reports, and Regionalism: The Chilean Coup and the Inter-American Narrowness by Francisco-José Quintana Published on 22 December 2023 [The Latin American leaders of my generation] lacked power, and they lacked power because they allowed foreign capital to continue …
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Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law The Good, The Bad, The Assemblage: ITT, IBM and Chile by André Dao Published on 21 December 2023 I On 4th December 1972, less than a year before his death during the military coup, Salvador Allende addressed a plaintive …
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Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law International Order and the Politics of Freedom of Information in Chile by Wanshu Cong Published on 21 December 2023 This post considers Allende’s socialist revolution in Chile as one of the earliest and toughest battles for not only a …
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Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law Critical legal theory situated: the work of Eduardo Novoa Monreal as the legal adviser of Salvador Allende by Fabia Fernandes Carvalho and João Roriz Published on 20 December 2023 Ahora, después de haber tenido la singular experiencia de asesorar …
Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law Allende’s Workshop: Technological Diplomacy and the Stakes of Solidarity by Anna Saunders Published on 20 December 2023 In the wake of mid-century decolonisation, many newly independent states sought ways to structure their economic relations so as to avoid new …
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Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law Salvador Allende, Populism and An International Law of Solidarity by Dr Claerwen O’Hara and Dr Valeria Vázquez Guevara Published on 19 December 2023 Today, populist politics are often depicted as hostile to international law. Specifically, there is an …
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Symposium: Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law Remembering to Reimagine: A Symposium on Salvador Allende, Unfulfilled Promise, and the Future of International Law by Wanshu Cong and Francisco-José Quintana Published on 19 December 2023 Fifty years ago, a military coup d’état put a brutal end …
The ICJ should appoint experts in the advisory proceedings in Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change By Professor Eirik Bjorge, Dr Nilüfer Oral Published on 4 December 2023 The year 2023 has been marked by an unprecedented number of requests for advisory opinions concerning climate change and State obligations under international law. This …
Identifying Legal Gaps in International Humanitarian Law Governing Peace Operations By Varun VM Published on 29 November 2023 This post highlights the importance of identifying legal gaps in international humanitarian law (IHL) applicable to peacekeeping operations. It explores the complexities of peacekeeping, including the multidimensional nature of missions and the challenges associated with distinguishing combatants …
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Four new judges and one re-elected at the ICJ: an election of firsts By Dr Massimo Lando Published on 14 November 2023 Photo credit: United Nations General Assembly hall in New York City, taken by Patrick Gruban, cropped and downsampled by Pine. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. …
Four new judges and one re-elected at the ICJ:an election of firsts Read More »
Symposium: Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice ‘Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice’ – A Response by Yusra Suedi Published on 6 October 2023 In this symposium, Alex De la Cruz, Carlos A. …
Symposium: Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice Due regard to the interests of coastal communities in maritime delimitation cases: towards participation, persuasion and equity by Carlos A. Cruz Carrillo Published on 6 October 2023 First and foremost, I would like to thank the Editors …
Symposium: Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice Delimitation and the Human Regard: Notes on Dr. Suedi’s study on Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice by María Teresa Infante Caffi Published on 4 October …
Symposium: Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice (Is)land, sea, and what it takes to ‘stabilise’ a maritime boundary by Alex P Dela Cruz* Published on 2 October 2023 Yusra Suedi’s 2021 article at the centre of this symposium provides useful perspective in thinking about …
(Is)land, sea, and what it takes to ‘stabilise’ a maritime boundary Read More »
Symposium: Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice Man, Land and Sea: Local Populations in Territorial and Maritime Disputes before the International Court of Justice by Yusra Suedi Published on 2 October 2023 I’d like to thank the Editors of CIL Dialogues for kindly hosting this symposium …
IPEF’s Supply Chain Agreement: Much Ado? By Celine Lange Published on 16 August 2023 In May 2023, exactly one year after its official launch in Tokyo, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF or Framework) reached a significant milestone as US authorities released a press statement announcing the substantial conclusion of the negotiations on supply chains under IPEF Pillar …
Prof Robert Beckman’s Reply to CIL Dialogues’ Blog Post by Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli of 7 August 2023 By Professor Robert Beckman Published on 14 August 2023 Reply and Rejoinder to “Prioritizing the Marine Environment: A Possible Malaysian Recharacterization of the Strait of Malacca to Regulate the Passage of Nuclear-Powered Submarines” Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli …
Japan-Pacific Islands Countries Cooperation on Maritime Law Enforcement By Yurika Ishii Published on 14 August 2023 1. Introduction On 16 May 2023, Japan signed and exchanged Notes on the Project for Strengthening Capacity of Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies for Effective Maritime Crime Control in the Pacific Island Countries with Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the …
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Prioritizing the Marine Environment: A Possible Malaysian Recharacterization of the Strait of Malacca to Regulate the Passage of Nuclear-Powered Submarines By Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli Published on 7 August 2023 Maritime traffic passing through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, two of the world’s busiest shipping ways, has been consistently increasing over the years. With …
Symposium: Climate Justice in International Courts: Working Towards a Livable Future Hope on the horizon? by Sumeyra Arslan Published on 4 August 2023 Introduction Climate justice lawsuits around the world are spreading like wildfire, not only nationally but internationally. While the three advisory opinion requests reside on different premises and divert from each other, they …
Symposium: Climate Justice in International Courts: Working Towards a Livable Future The Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Climate Emergency by José Daniel Rodríguez Orúe Published on 3 August 2023 Introduction On 9 January 2023, Chile and Colombia requested an advisory opinion on human rights and the climate emergency from the Inter-American Court of Human …
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Symposium: Climate Justice in International Courts: Working Towards a Livable Future Intergenerational Climate Justice under the Law of the Sea: The ITLOS Advisory Opinion Request by the Commission of Small Island States by Lianne Baars and Zoe Nay Published on 2 August 2023 Introduction On 12 December 2022, the Commission of Small Island States on …
Symposium: Climate Justice in International Courts: Working Towards a Livable Future The Role of International and Regional Courts in Future-proofing Environmental Jurisprudence Through Advisory Opinions by Manon Rouby Published on 1 August 2023 Introduction The latest IPCC report reiterated its alarming message. Climate impacts on people and ecosystems are more widespread and severe than expected …