Outline of globe with dove and text box with theme title, "Exploring possibilities for peace in the twenty-first century"

Image by Brian VandeVelde

Exploring Possibilities for Peace in the Twenty-first Century

How does the international legal system respond to challenges to peace?

The international community has seen threats to interstate peace on a scale unthinkable for decades.  The international legal order was designed after World War II with the express purpose of securing interstate peace, and yet, it seems to be failing. The devastating spread of interstate war is one of the most important challenges of our time and understanding how to respond is one of our most important questions.

Yet at the very moment that the international legal system seems to be in decline, states have suddenly turned to law to solve international challenges with greater enthusiasm than in previous decades. After years of growing skepticism about international law, states are working with international courts and organizations to an extent unthinkable a few years ago.

We will bring an interdisciplinary lens to the simultaneous rise of interstate war and international law
in the twenty-first century to examine: Why has international law failed to secure the peace it promised? Why have states turned to international law as peace seems under the greatest strain in decades? And crucially, how can international law and the international community adapt to better secure peace today?