Call for Papers: International law under pressure: navigating a shifting landscape

The British International Studies Association International Law Working Group has issued a call for papers for a workshop on "International law under pressure: navigating a shifting landscape," to take place November 19, 2018, at the University of Glasgow. Here's the call:

International law and legal institutions are central to the post-Cold War rules-based international order. The multilateral arrangements underpinning this order are coming under visible stress, however, as state and non-state actors seek to challenge, reshape, and in some cases withdraw from international institutions and their associated global and regional regimes, including across economic, environmental, human rights/humanitarian, and security-related spheres. This dynamic raises questions about the ability of governments and international institutions to navigate evolving collective policy challenges (e.g. climate change, financial regulation, terrorism, shifts in trade relationships, and shifting forms of warfare) in an increasingly unstable international political environment.

This workshop will provide an opportunity to consider how (and whether) international law can be considered to be under pressure in different areas, the political, economic and social drivers involved, and the implications of these for the future of international law and governance.

The organisers welcome papers from researchers and practitioners exploring: the nature, extent and manifestations of international legal contestation and resistance; the material and ideational sources and drivers of these processes; the causal and constitutive mechanisms involved; legal and political implications, and the resilience and adaptability of existing regimes and institutions to emerging trends.

Abstracts of not more than 300 words should be submitted to bisailaw2018@glasgow.ac.uk by 30 June 2018, and should be accompanied by a one-page CV for each applicant.

We are particularly keen to encourage contributions from PhD students and early career researchers, and can offer modest travel bursaries for a small number of attendees. Please indicate when you submit your abstract whether you would like to be considered for one of these, along with details of the amount sought. Lunch will be provided.