​Globalization and Post-Cold War international law saw a shift beyond a purely state-centric system toward an international order emphasizing cooperation and community-building, through various vehicles like NGOs, human rights instruments, trade and investment agreements, regional agreements, or other treaties. However, in recent times, the nation-state paradigm has seemingly reasserted itself, often at the expense of international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and regional economic blocs. States oscillate between collective cooperation and unilateral action, seeking strategic advantages—but at what cost? What incentives, past and present, drive the most powerful nations to adhere to a rules-based international system? 

 

This oscillation between multilateral engagement and unilateralism echoes evolving tensions in international law. The 1970 Declaration on Friendly Relations, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, reaffirmed key principles of the UN Charter, including sovereign equality, non-intervention, peaceful dispute resolution, and cooperation among States. While this declaration reinforced the legal and moral foundation of these norms, contemporary geopolitical realities increasingly challenge their application. The reassertion of nationalist rhetoric, territorial disputes, and strategic unilateralism suggests that, despite the aspirational vision of the 1970 Declaration, States continue to prioritize power and self-interest over collective commitments.

 

The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, alongside geopolitical tensions—such as discussions on U.S. territorial expansionism regarding Canada and Greenland—highlight renewed debates on territorial sovereignty and nationalist rhetoric. Meanwhile, economic warfare and rapid technological advancements are reshaping diplomatic relations and, by extension, the international legal framework as we know it. From climate change and armed conflict to digital regulation and the future of multilateralism, contemporary challenges continue to test the resilience of international law and the enduring relevance of principles reaffirmed in the Declaration on Friendly Relations.

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Please stay tuned for the call for papers and we invite you to participate in large numbers.

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