Public Lectures from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

In the mare liberum, seafarers are protected by the age-old maritime duty to rescue anyone in distress at sea. This principle has also been codified in various treaties, including the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. This convention was adopted in response to the Titanic disaster and mainly focuses on safety on board of commercial ships. But the most vulnerable people at sea nowadays clearly are irregular migrants, sailing by rubber boats rather than cruise ships. Formally, these migrants are also protected by the non-refoulement principle under refugee and human rights law. Yet in practice, they are subject to a politics of protection which operates through an intermeshing of different legal regimes. Moreover, the rubber boats play a crucial role in this politics of protection, and ultimately preclude the irregular migrants from the protection of the non-refoulement principle. Through the case of the rubber boat, as a transnational legal encounter of people, rules and objects, I investigate the uneven geographies and temporalities of international law as an everyday practice. Moreover, by paying critical attention to how objects participate in actualising certain sets of relations and potentials over others, the concept of transnational legal encounters enables us to critically re-think the production of meanings, legalities and politics, layering complexities to law’s work in and to the world.Tanja Aalberts is Professor of Law and Politics at the department of Transnational Legal Studies, VU Amsterdam. She is the author of 'Constructing Sovereignty between Politics and Law' (Routledge, 2012), co-author of 'The Changing Practices of International Law' (CUP, 2018) and co-edited 'The Power of Legality. Practices of International Law and their Politics' (CUP, 2016). Her work on the interplay between politics and law within global governance, misrecognition, colonial treaties and interdisciplinarity has been published in various journals and handbooks in International Law and International Relations. She was a founding board member of the European International Studies Association, and editor of the Leiden Journal of International Law. She currently is series editor for Voices in IR with Oxford University Press and member of the Advisory Council International Affairs for the Dutch government. Her current research focuses on transnational legal encounters and the aesthetics of international law. She is also doing archival research and writing a book on the Peace Palace as the first building of the international community.https://www.lcil.cam.ac.uk/press/events/2025/05/friday-lecture-rubber-boats-transnational-legal-encounters-mediterranean-prof-tanja-aalberts-vu

Closing address by the Editors-in-Chief and Conference Convenor (Marno Swart, Renatus Otto Franz Derler (00:00) and Kevin Zou(01:33)).This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see: http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Joshua Kelly, Freshfields.1. Ms Paulina Rundel, PhD Candidate, University of Vienna: The UN Charter Navigating the Moon: The Moon Agreement versus the Artemis Accords. (02:10)2. Dr Abbie-Rose Hampton, Research Associate; Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow, King’s College London: Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing and the Pandemic Treaty: Maintaining the Status Quo? (20:55)3. Dr Milena Sterio, Charles R. Emrick Jr. – Calfee Halter & Griswold Professor of Law, Cleveland State University College of Law: Artificial Intelligence and Individual Criminal Responsibility: A Paradox or a Possibility? (34:48)4. Ms Martina Elia Vitoloni, DCL Candidate, McGill University: Orbiting Beyond Control: International Law and the Rise of Private Power in Outer Space. (50:40)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Commodore Ian Park, UK Royal Navy; Visiting Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School.1. Ms Liuva Ramos Masó, Early Career Researcher (Ghent Alumni), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): Hide and seek with private military companies (pmcs) the urgent need for an international regulatory framework. (01:48)2. Dr Kostia Gorobets, Assistant Professor of International Law, University of Groningen: The Law of Multipolarity: How Russia Creates Its Alternative Legality. (17:02)3. Dr Alberto Rinaldi, Postdoctoral Researcher, Lund University: Cognitive Warfare in the Biotechnological Age: Threats and Challenges to International Law. (29:18)4. Dr Mohamad Janaby, Lecturer, University of Glasgow: Counter-Terrorism and Government Recognition: The Intersection of International Law in Post-Conflict Transitions. (44:21)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Bart Wasiak, Senior Associate, Arnold & Porter.1. Dr Ernst-Ulrich Petersman, Professor Emeritus, European University Insitutite: Constitutional Pluralism as Political Driver for Multipolar Re-ordering of International Legal Systems. (04:35)2. Dr Konstantina Georgaki, Assistant Professor in International and European Economic Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: The EU's defence to economic warfare: A long-awaited U-turn? (21:35)3. Dr Abdulkadir Nacar, Researcher, Istanbul Univeristy: Decentralized Finance as a Tool for Objective Global Sanctions: Integrating Capital Influence within the UN System. (40:53)4. Ms Khrystyna Kostiushko, Independent Counsel: Consequences of Incorporation/Annexation of Territory for the Spatial Scope of Application of Investment Treaties. (55:00)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Dr Tugba Basaran, Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Human Movement, University of Cambridge.1. Dr Lora Izvorova, LSE Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Sciences: Deconstructing Dignity: Two Archetypes in European Human Rights Law. (01:10)2. Dr Chloë McRae Gilgan, Senior Lecturer, University of Lincoln: Refuge in Peril: The Responsibility to Protect Populations Fleeing Mass Atrocities. (19:18)3. Dr Bethan Hall, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore: The Human Rights Obligations of Corporate Sovereigns. (38:57)4. Dr Gabriela García Escobar, Professor of Public International Law, Universidad Panamericana: Two Models of Universality: What are the Prospects for Human Rights in a Fragmented World? (55:45)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Émilie Pottle, Barrister, Temple Garden Chambers.1. Ms Danielle Flanagan, Associate, Hogan Lovells LLP: Rethinking Universal Jurisdiction: A Shift Towards Greater Universality? (01:54)2. Dr Ata Hindi, Murphy Institute Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Tulane University School of Law: Here Comes Your Ghost Again: Individual Immunities for International Crimes. (16:51)3. Dr Giovanni Chiarini, Assistant Professor of Law, Alfaisal University: Negotiated Justice Transformation: From Post-WWII Military Tribunals' Ethical Denial to Modern International Courts' Procedural Approaches.(34:59)Please note there are some audio glitches on this recording. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Jessica Simor KC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers.1. Ms Crisela Bernardino, Researcher in Corporate Climate Litigation, British Insitutue of International and Comparative Law (BIICL): In the Interests of Climate Justice: International Law and Decolonial Perspectives on the Philippine Climate Case Against the ‘Carbon Majors’. (02:08)2. Mr Selman Aksünger, PhD Candidate, Maastricht University: Permanent Sovereignty Over Maritime Zones: A Response to Sea Level Rise Induced Coastal Instability. (19:39)3. Ms Jessica Crow, PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge: Emissions Trading: An Emerging Tension at the Nexus of Investment Protection and Climate Governance. (34:48)4. Ms Katharina Neumann, DPhil Candidate, University of Oxford: The Forgotten Sector: The UN Climate Change Regime and Agricultural Emissions. (52:02)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Moderator: Stephen Fietta KC, Founder, Fietta LLP.1. Dr Jolyon Ford SFHEA, Professor, Australian National University; and Dr Imogen Saunders, Associate Professor, Australian National University: International Law as Geology: Crawford's core/periphery metaphor and challenges to the contemporary international legal order. (02:18)2. Ms Jessie Phyffer, LLD Candidate, University of Pretoria; Research Associate University of Johannesburg: The “International Community”: A Useful Rhetorical Technique to Induce a Common Interest-Based International Legal Order. (17:40)3. Dr Sarah McCosker, Founding Partner, Lexbridge Lawyers; and Dr Esmé Shirlow, Associate Professor, Australian National University: The Rise of Non- Treaty Instruments: Challenges and Implications for the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law. (27:50)4. Mr Taran Molloy, Barrister (New Zealand): De-pluralising International Legal Personality: International Organisations and the 20th Century Shift to Statehood. (45:42)5. Mr Sebastian von Massow, PhD Candidate, European University Institute: Litigating Colonial Self-Determination. (59:22)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see:http://cilj.co.uk/

Keynote address 4 – Ambassador Rena Lee: 'The Institutionalisation of International Law in a Multipolar World'Introduction (00:00)Keynote 4 (01:18)This is a recording from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law ConferenceThis is a collection of recordings from the events of the 14th Annual Cambridge International Law Conference, held under the title 'Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law' on 28 & 29 April 2025 at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.For more information about the conference, and the Journal, see: http://cilj.co.uk/