Milo: Equality of Parties in International Adjudication: The Quest for a General Principle in Asymmetric Proceedings

Caterina Milo (Univ. of Rome Tor Vergata) has published Equality of Parties in International Adjudication: The Quest for a General Principle in Asymmetric Proceedings (Brill | Nijhoff 2026). Here's the abstract:

This book provides an in-depth analysis of equality of parties in international adjudication beyond the conventional interstate framework. It challenges the idea that party equality in international proceedings simply follows from sovereign equality and demonstrates that this assumption is ill-suited to disputes involving private actors. It argues that equality can be protected in asymmetric proceedings between states or international organizations and private entities, even when the parties are not formally equal in the international legal order. Drawing on investor-state arbitration, regional human rights courts, and international administrative tribunals, the book identifies a common legal foundation for equality of parties in a general principle of international law derived from national approaches to administrative adjudication.

New Issue: The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals

The latest issue of The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals (Vol. 24, no. 3, 2025) is out. Contents include:

• Brian McGarry, On Interstitial Justice: the Application of Amended Rules of Court in Pending ICJ Cases
• Lena Raxter, Scientific Issues at the International Court of Justice: Utilizing Court-Appointed Expert Assistance in Complex Scientific Disputes
• Noam Morris, The Recueil des Cours de l’Académie de La Haye in States’ Pleadings before the International Court of Justice: An Empirical Analysis
• Mikayla Perry, Third-State Intervention in the Provisional Measures Phase before the International Court of Justice
• Ori Pomson, Removal from the General List: Sudan v. United Arab Emirates and Beyond
• Alberto Alvarez-Jimenez, Non-Reimbursable Foreign Aid as a Factor for Reducing War Reparations in Inter-State Adjudication

New Issue: Chinese Journal of International Law

The latest issue of the Chinese Journal of International Law (Vol. 25, no. 3, September 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Articles
• Alexey Ilin & Wei Shen, Svalbard Treaty Model for Celestial Bodies: Reconciling Sovereignty with Global Commons
• Liang Yu & Bo Chen, The Evolution of Human Rights Law in the Context of Climate Change
• Current Developments
• Zuo Haicong, Yang Yueyi, & Wang Geng, Changes in the Regulatory System: China’s New Export Control Law and Reshaped Legal Landscape
• Comment and Review Essay
• Yury Rovnov, Celsius 1.5: Reflections on the ICJ’s “Primary Temperature Goal” Under The Paris Agreement

New Issue: International Community Law Review

The latest issue of the International Community Law Review (Vol. 28, nos. 5-6, 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Special Issue: Arms, Peace and Sustainability: At the Frontiers of International Law on Arms Transfer and Arms Control
• Sondra Faccio & Marco Pertile, Arms, Peace and Sustainability: At the Frontiers of International Law on Arms Transfer and Arms Control
• Luigi Crema & Antonio Mariconda, Strengthening State Accountability for Wrongful Arms Exports: the Role of the ECHR
• Angelica Bonfanti & Marco Fasciglione, Human Rights Due Diligence in the Regulation of the Arms Industry: a Critical Assessment
• Sondra Faccio & Giulia Cagol, FDIs in the Arms Industry: The Interplay between Investment Law and Arms Trade Regulation
• Silvia Bortolato & Filomena Medea Tulli, Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Arms Trade Treaty
• Stefano Silingardi & Niccolò Zugliani, The Threat or Use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons through the Lens of Sustainable Development

New Issue: Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Institutions

The latest issue of Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Institutions (Vol. 32, no. 3, 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Jean-Pierre Lacroix, ACUNS Lecture in Honour of Kofi Annan - UN Peacekeeping in a Divided World: Achievements and Challenges
• Adriana Abdenur, ACUNS Annual Meeting Keynote Address - A Multipolar World Is Not Something to Mourn
• Elise Doumergue & Hussam Hussein, Beyond Membership: Why Do States Seek Observer Status in Regional Organizations?
• The Global Forum
• Jonathan R. Everhart, Challenges of the OECD’s Tax Governance Regime Leading to the United Nations’ ‘(Re)entry’ into International Tax Law Governance
• Hendry Roris P. Sianturi, Uud Wahyudin, Budi Nugraha, & Reddy Anggara, The BRICS Sustainability Paradox in Global Governance
• Troy Emilio Smith, AI-Driven Disinformation, Information Integrity, and Global Governance: Challenges and Policy Priorities for the Multilateral System

New Issue: Ocean Development & International Law

The latest issue of Ocean Development & International Law (Vol. 57, no. 3, 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Special Issue: Regime Interaction under the BBNJ Agreement
• Sarah Lothian, Kristine Dalaker & Aline Jaeckel, Regime Interaction under the BBNJ Agreement
• Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Who Are the “Relevant IFBs” for the Purposes of the BBNJ Agreement?
• Aldo Chircop, The BBNJ Agreement and IMO: What Role for Maritime Law Instruments and Measures?
• Trung Nguyen & Dawoon Jung, Strengthening the Area-Based Management Tools on the High Seas through Shipping-Related Measures
• Bastiaan Ewoud Klerk, Beyond Undermining: COP Competences to Establish ABMTs and MPAs under the BBNJ Agreement
• Kentaro Nishimoto, The Potential of the “Obligation to Promote” in the BBNJ Agreement to Contribute to a Holistic Governance of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction
• Warwick Gullett & Neil Craik, Precautionary Environmental Impact Assessments under the BBNJ Agreement: More than a Minor or Transitory Effect on the Marine Environment?
• Youngdawng Moh, Heecheol Yang, Wonhee Kim & Sarah Lothian, Regime Interaction in CBD and BBNJ Environmental Impact Assessments: Normative Framework and Challenges
• Ethan Beringen, Cleaning the High Seas: Environmental Impact Assessments under the BBNJ Agreement and the Removal of Existing Marine Plastic Pollution
• Julia Schütz Veiga, From Definition to Obligation: Interpreting Marine Technology under the BBNJ Agreement to Advance Equity

Cohen: Security and Self-Determination

Harlan Grant Cohen (Fordham Univ. - Law) has posted Security and Self-Determination (Virginia Journal of International Law, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

Asserting superior expertise, Presidents have long demanded deference in recognizing national security threats. Courts have generally agreed and acceded. But what if "national security" is not an expert subject to be discovered, but instead a manifestation of community values and fears-an act of communal self-definition? Drawing on history and theory, this article argues that the political nature of national security claims has been fundamentally miscast. Understood as matters of self-determination, claims to national security require democratic ratification. Courts should thus approach national security claims not with the deference owed to expert factual determinations but with the scrutiny appropriate to assertions of national identity and communal values. They should function as democracy-forcing institutions, demanding evidence that securitizing moves have been democratically and representatively ratified before accepting them as justifications for exceptional government action.

Ayalew: Between Shut It Off and Keep It On: The Legality of Internet Shutdowns under International Law

Yohannes Eneyew Ayalew has published Between Shut It Off and Keep It On: The Legality of Internet Shutdowns under International Law (Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 59, no. 3, 2026). Here's the abstract:

Internet shutdowns are on the surge across the globe, at least four dozen states-imposed internet shutdowns in 2024 alone, in armed conflicts and other situations. In some states where an authoritarian propensity or “digital sovereignty” reigns, internet shutdowns are being imposed to control political narratives during the conduct of hostilities. These states justify their actions using a “shut it off” argument, claiming that the internet is a luxury and further asserting that access to the internet may be overridden by national security or other justifications. On the other hand, there are states that advance open access to the internet in an uninhibited manner where internet must always be open even during armed conflicts. When the internet is cut off, by whatsoever reasons, they tend to advance the free access of the internet using “keep it on” argument.

This Article first seeks to explore these polarized debates of internet shutdown and then goes on to examine the legality of internet shutdowns under international law, mainly focusing on International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Drawing on insights from the “Three Generations of Digital Human Rights” project, which conceptualizes access to the internet as a standalone new digital right, this Article argues that imposing internet shutdowns during armed conflicts or other situations, without due regard to IHRL and IHL, undermines emerging digital rights, foremost of which is the right of access to the internet. Finally, the Article suggests that states should co-apply both IHRL and IHL before, during, and after the imposition of shutdown measures in situations of armed conflict.

Conference: 55th Annual Conference of the Canadian Council on International Law

The Canadian Council on International Law will hold its 55th Annual Conference on October 29-30, 2026, in Ottawa. The theme is: "Bend, Not Break: Resilience and Evolution of International Law." Program and registration are here.

Call for Papers: 22nd Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law

The European Society of International Law has issued a call for papers for its 22nd Annual Conference, which will take place September 9-11, 2027, at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in Lisbon. The theme is: "International Law and Future(s)." The call is here. The deadline is January 31, 2027.

Conference: International Law Weekend 2026

The American Branch of the International Law Association will hold International Law Weekend 2026 in New York City on October 22-24. The theme is "[R]evolution in the International Legal Order." The program is here. Registration is here.

Conference: Communicating for a Better World

On October 21-23, 2026, a conference will be held on "Communicating for a Better World," in New York City and virtually. The conference will "explore how communication can strengthen the United Nations, advance solutions to global issues and create a better world for all." Details are here.

Workshop: The Daily Life of International Law

On October 29, 2026, the British Institute of International & Comparative Law and the SLS International Law section will hold an online workshop on "The Daily Life of International Law." Details are here.

Kraska: The Second Tanker War

James Kraska (U.S. Naval War College) has published The Second Tanker War (International Law Studies, Vol. 109, 2026). Here's an excerpt from the introduction:

This special volume of International Law Studies focuses on the contemporary war at sea between Iran and the United States that began in 2026. It examines how the United States assembled, from statutes and executive orders on the one hand and from centuries of customary international law on the other, a legal architecture for interdicting Iran’s oil trade that finances the regime. That U.S. architecture has two halves. Operation Epic Fury is the military campaign. Operation Economic Fury, and its successor, Operation Economic Outcast, is the Treasury-led campaign of sanctions, asset seizures, and terrorism forfeiture statutes directed at the oil smuggling and weapons networks that sustain Tehran. These efforts leverage the peacetime law of the sea and the law of naval warfare. Together, the two approaches form a single hybrid campaign, or “ghost war” waged against Iran at sea. Moreover, the U.S. campaign demonstrates the ability to operate simultaneously in peacetime and armed conflict, effectively operating in the “gray zone” between normal peacetime and armed conflict.

Call for Engaged Listeners: The Impact of Neutrality on Research and Knowledge Production in Legal Scholarship

A call for engaged listeners has been issued for a workshop on "The Impact of Neutrality on Research and Knowledge Production in Legal Scholarship," to take place December 9-10, 2026, at Ruhr University Bochum. The call is here.

Conference: International Cooperation under the European Convention on Human Rights

On October 15–16, 2026, the University of Liverpool will host a conference on “International Cooperation under the European Convention on Human Rights: Sources, Limits, and Enforceability of State Obligations.” Judge Mykola Gnatovskyy (European Court of Human Rights) will deliver the keynote speech. The conference will conclude with a plenary discussion featuring Judges Mykola Gnatovskyy and Vasilka Sancin (European Court of Human Rights). The keynote and all Friday afternoon panel discussions, including the plenary, are open to the public; the plenary will also be streamed online. The program is here. Registration is here.

van Aaken: Which Game Are We Playing? Geoeconomics, Behavioral Security Inflation and International Law

Anne van Aaken (Univ. of Hamburg - Law) has posted Which Game Are We Playing? Geoeconomics, Behavioral Security Inflation and International Law. Here's the abstract:

National security has expanded from existential and military threats into trade, investment, technology, supply chains and industrial policy. This chapter asks how states perceive which security game they are playing. Material vulnerabilities and weaponized interdependence can rationally alter incentives. Furthermore, strategic interaction is networked rather than dyadic: policies and influence propagate through alliances, trade relations and third states. National narratives, framing and behavioural mechanisms shape perceived payoffs, actors and time horizons. Positive-sum interdependence may consequently be reframed as zero-sum competition, generating security dilemmas, while bandwagon effects and behavioural security inflation can exacerbate that process. Measures rational in the short run may create greater insecurity over time. National institutions determine who defines and contests threats and thus comparative variations matter. International law is therefore not merely a constraint. By stabilising expectations, providing information and monitoring, coordinating networked responses and limiting opportunistic security exceptions, it can preserve opportunities for positive-sum cooperation and prevent security narratives from becoming self-fulfilling realities.

Hovell: Theories of Collective Security: Asking the Wrong Questions

Devika Hovell (London School of Economics - Law) has posted Theories of Collective Security: Asking the Wrong Questions (in Research Handbook on International Legal Theory and War, Tom Dannenbaum & Eliav Lieblich eds., forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

Long-standing debates about collective security recur around a single question: why does it fail? This chapter argues that the questions we ask shape what we are able to see, and that mistaking some questions for the only ones worth asking can obscure more productive lines of inquiry. Using the classic interrogatives-why, what, who, when, where and how-as an organising device, it examines how international legal theory has approached collective security: as a matter of ideology, description, community, selectivity, and process. Surveying liberal, Marxist, realist, institutional, constitutional, feminist and Third World traditions, it shows how different questions can open up avenues of inquiry or collapse them into a search for hidden coherence, a single culprit, or an inherited ideal. Theory serves collective security best, it concludes, when it resists explanatory closure and attends to the contingent processes through which legal authority is constituted and contested.

Webinar: Violations of peremptory norms and erga omnes obligations: What role for international responsibility?

On October 13, 2026, a second webinar in the ESIL Conversations series “Responsibility of States and International Organisations in Times of Accountability Gaps: 25 Years of ARSIWA and 15 Years of ARIO” will take place. The topic is: “Violations of peremptory norms and erga omnes obligations: What role for international responsibility?” Details are here.

New Issue: Virginia Journal of International Law

The latest issue of the Virginia Journal of International Law (Vol. 66, no. 3, 2026) is out. Contents include:

• Celebrating 75 Years of International Law Symposia at UVA Law
• Neil Noronha & Chloe S. Metz, Celebrating 75 Years of International Law Symposia at UVA Law
• Jamieson Greer, Don’t Let International Law Get in the Way of Peace and Prosperity
• Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar & Emma Klein, Trade-Offs, Trade, and “Contested Agendas for a Freer World”
• Timothy Meyer, An International Law Based on Respect for U.S. Law
• Heng Wang, Dollar Challenger? CBDCs, Complexities, and Monetary Hegemony
• Peter Swire & Samm Sacks, Personal Data as a Dual-Use Technology: Critically Assessing the New Alliance of Privacy and National Security
• Gianluca Pantaleo & Timothy William Waters, Performing Publicity: Secrecy and Transparency in International Criminal Judgments

Sommario & Billing: International Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Disaster Risk Management

Emanuele Sommario (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna) & Peter Billing have published International Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Disaster Risk Management (Springer 2026). Here's the abstract:

Disasters – whether natural, technological, or public health-related – are increasing in frequency, scale, and complexity, with profound human, economic, and geopolitical consequences. While advances in early warning systems, infrastructure, and coordinated response have reduced some vulnerabilities, new risks driven by climate change, demographic shifts, and global interdependence threaten to reverse these gains. Against this backdrop, the need for effective legal and institutional frameworks for disaster management has never been more urgent.

This open access book offers a comprehensive yet accessible overview of contemporary international disaster management from both an institutional and legal perspective. Part I examines the principal actors and coordination mechanisms shaping the international response, with particular attention to the evolution of the United Nations system and the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism as the most advanced regional model. Part II turns to the legal frameworks governing disaster management, distinguishing between post-disaster response and recovery measures on the one hand, and pre-disaster prevention and preparedness - most notably disaster risk reduction - on the other.

Drawing on the latest empirical data and recent normative developments, including the Sendai Framework and the International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters, the volume situates disaster law and policy within broader debates on resilience, sustainable development, and climate adaptation. Intended as a reference text, this book is particularly valuable for scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers seeking a structured understanding of the evolving institutional landscape and legal architecture of disaster management at both global and regional levels.

Conference: Mapping International Law’s Second Worlds (SWAIL II): Middle Powers, Semi-Peripheries and Shifting Hierarchies in the Global Legal Order

On November 16-17, 2026, a conference will be held on "Mapping International Law’s Second Worlds (SWAIL II): Middle Powers, Semi-Peripheries and Shifting Hierarchies in the Global Legal Order" at Singapore Management University. The program is here.

Acconciamessa & Pavoni: Uno strumento vivente: l’impatto della CEDU sull’ordinamento italiano a 75 anni dalla sua adozione

Lorenzo Acconciamessa (European Court of Human Rights) & Riccardo Pavoni (Univ. of Siena - Law) have published Uno strumento vivente: l’impatto della CEDU sull’ordinamento italiano a 75 anni dalla sua adozione (Firenze Univ. Press/USiena Press 2026). This title is available open access. Here's the abstract:

Seventy-five years after the adoption in Rome of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), this volume offers a critical reflection on the impact that the ECHR has had on the Italian legal order, as a living instrument constantly interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights in light of the socio-cultural, political and normative transformations of the European society. In a historical context marked by renewed sovereignist pressures and growing challenges to the European system of human rights protection, the volume aims to reaffirm the centrality of the ECHR as a common heritage of values and guarantees, indispensable for the effective enjoyment of fundamental rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Italy and Europe.

Lecture: Clapham on "Why we should not accept the use of Prize Law today"

On October 30, 2026, Andrew Clapham (Geneva Graduate Institute) will give the next lecture in the TwoLaW Lecture Series on the Laws of War. The topic is: “Why we should not accept the use of Prize Law today.” The presentation will take place online. Registration is here.

Call for Submissions: Cyber Law Toolkit

A call for submissions has been issued for the 2027 update of the Cyber Law Toolkit, an online resource on international law and cyber activities. The call is here.