Wednesday, 2 January 2019

Top ten developments in international law in 2018

a post by Merel Alstein for the OUP blog


“Backpack, light, atlas” by Arthur Edelman. Public domain via Unsplash

This year was, once again, one of great political turmoil. The international legal order is not immune from the impact of the rise of populism and increasingly strained relations between many of the world’s most powerful states.

A positive view is that we are witnessing a period of global re-adjustment. A more negative take is that there is a real risk of the fabric of the international legal order, created so carefully in the aftermath of the First and Second World Wars, unravelling.

One of this year’s key themes reflects the political stalemate: states and private parties turned to the courts to try and resolve disputes in the absence of political or diplomatic solutions. In some cases this was successful (environmental litigation), in others it is much less likely that international litigation will bring about a lasting resolution. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at ten major events, developments, and cases that shaped international law in 2018.

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