The Reach and Limits of International Law to Solve Today's Challenges

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International law seems to be perpetually in crisis. Profound questions abound regarding its functions, utility, relevance, and ability to provide solutions in a complex and changing world. The past few years have presented us with multiple challenges – from trade wars to a global pandemic to the worsening of climate change to the invasion of Ukraine – which have led some to question the role and value of international law as a tool for solving modern day crises.

As international lawyers, it is incumbent on us to question underlying assumptions and to revisit the aims of international law and its ability to provide solutions to crises, big and small. It is worth reflecting on the more modest wins of international law, and to query the reach – as well as the very real limits – of what international law is, and what it can do. It is only in challenging and questioning the reach and limits of international law that we can, as a community, navigate, and ultimately strive to reinforce and strengthen its importance.