Making International Law Accessible
The end of this year also marks the end of the first six months of INTERNATIONAL LAW. Over the last months, the aim of a weekly rhythm was certainly the greatest difficulty in writing this column. There never was a lack of interesting topics and it seems more than likely that there will be plenty of material for future columns.
INTERNATIONAL LAW is still in its early days as a weekly column on a range of issues in the field of international law, from classics to current topics to future problems. In the long run, all writing about international law will have to be practically relevant in order to matter. Of course, it is possible to discuss purely theoretical problems, but like other systems of law, international law lives from being practised. The practice of international law is not limited to international courts or intergovernmental organizations. The practical implementation of international legal standards happens on the local level. This becomes visible, especially in fields such as human rights or environmental law. It is often local lawyers, public officials, and judges, who play crucial roles in ensuring compliance with international law. It is for these practitioners, but also for journalists who write about international law, for activists, and for everybody else who is interested in international law, that I am writing this column.
International law is reacting to practical needs and it is this practice-oriented approach to writing about law from an academic perspective that also informs INTERNATIONAL LAW. The texts collected here are meant to be as informative and accessible as newspaper articles while retaining a scientific-practical approach. This column is not intended to replace academic articles, textbooks or reference works, but to complement them by providing information on international law to a broader readership.
Sadly, Russia’s war against Ukraine provided the background for many of the texts in the last months. INTERNATIONAL LAW will continue to provide information on ongoing and emerging issues. The weekly format allows for views on current issues. This approach also includes the risk of circumstances changing rapidly, but at any given moment there are benefits to awareness of the rules of international law that apply - in particular, if those rules are meant to provide protection to those who are affected by illegal activities.
INTERNATIONAL LAW is still a very modest side-project, but I want to take the opportunity to thank all readers for their interest, especially given the word-of-mouth approach and the lack of time and resources for marketing. Informing the wider public, policy-makers and legal practitioners about global and regional rules will remain the mission of this column also in the new year.