6SSPP353 Politics and Justice in International Law

Politics and Justice in International Law 6SSPP353 , MODULE OUTLINE, 2025-2026

Dr. Carmen Pavel

Spring 2026 King’s College London

Lecture Tuesdays 9.00 – 10.00                                    Waterloo FWB 1.71

Convenor

Dr. Carmen Pavel     carmen.pavel@kcl.ac.uk       OH: Drop-in only, no appointment needed.

                                                                                                Week 1 only Wednesday 3-5 pm.

                                                                                                All other weeks Thursdays 13:00-15:00

Room 7.17 Bush House North East Wing

Seminar Leader:

Cheng-Chia Tung  cheng-chia.1.tung@kcl.ac.uk  OH: Thursdays, 11:00–13:00

Room 8.16, Bush House North East Wing.

Booking at https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/a2b39472a59f4f82926b802099113f7e%40kcl.ac.uk/meetingtype/Ow56P1Bq6UGkMMkiyAyIVA2?bookingcode=9abebe1c-3541-4a42-80b2-eea80eed3d86&anonymous&ismsaljsauthenabled

***This outline is an overall guide for the course, but assigned readings may change, so check the updated online version regularly***

Module Description: Within only a few years, the international rule-based order seems to be changing. Armed conflicts and large-scale human rights abuses are proliferating, and countries like the US flout many of the basic rules of international law, such as the principle of non-aggression. We are witnessing what some might call a rapid decline of the international legal order. In this class we are interested in evaluating the history, present, and continued relevance of international law for international politics. Why do states make international treaties? Should they obey the treaties they make? Is international law really ‘law?’ It is just? Are human rights universal? Are they effective? These are some of the main questions explored in this class. Politics and Justice in International Law discusses the history, nature, justification, legitimacy, and effects of international law. We will use international law cases as well as analyses of distinct areas of international law (international criminal law, human rights law, economic law, environmental law, the law of the sea) to tackle complicated philosophical and empirical questions about the character of international law. The readings will blend analyses of core areas of public international law and readings in the philosophy of law.

Course goals: By the end of the semester, the course will help you advance several general and topic-related skills. On the topical skill side, you will understand and be able to describe at least two different perspectives on the value and purposes of international law. An important skill is to explore the assumptions and implications of each perspective and the way in which they inform debates about actual legal institutions and rules. On the general skill side, the goal is to help you extract value from the material by developing the language and conceptual machinery necessary to discuss the theoretical and practical issues that arise in international law. You will do so by engaging, understanding, interpreting, critically evaluating, and comparing the arguments presented. As writers, you will work on formulating and developing an effective argument on a normative topic, and you will practice the elements of writing a successful paper.

Assigned readings:

This textbook is an excellent introduction to international law for non-law students. Many of our readings, especially in the second half, will be drawn from it: Jeffrey Dunoff, Steven R. Ratner, David Wippman, International Law: Norms, Actors, Process: A Problem-Oriented Approach (Aspen Casebook) 5^th Edition.

OK to use alternative editions. Eight copies of the 4^th edition are available at Maugham Library.

Other than the above textbook, all other readings will be posted on KEATS or linked to the library’s electronic copy.

Seminar Participation: The success of the module depends on active and thoughtful participation. We will now take attendance in both lectures and seminars. You should participate in the seminar having read the assigned materials and being prepared to ask questions about them and participate extensively in discussion. Pay particular attention to the legal case assigned for the week and be ready to discuss it in seminar. Be prepared to ask at least two questions about the readings. The standards for excellent participation are: proving a comprehensive and profound understanding of the material, moving the discussion forward with insightful comments, bringing up perceptive questions that grapple with complex ideas in the readings, and responding thoughtfully to and building on other students’ comments.

Assessments:

Writing: Writing is an excellent way to polish your ideas, hone your argumentative skills and practice communicating them to others as clearly and concisely as possible. Strive to write essays that are excellent in every way. Aim for ambitious, perceptive arguments that take a clear position on an issue, grapple with interesting, complex ideas; respond discerningly to counterarguments and explore well-chosen evidence. The discussion in your essays should enhance, rather than underscore, the reader’s knowledge (it does not simply repeat what has been taught). Learning to reference legal texts and court decisions will be important for essay writing.

The assessments for this class will consist of a midterm essay and an in-person final exam scheduled in the May exam session. Be advised that the use of ChatGPT and other LLMs is considered plagiarism by the college and treated according to the rules for plagiarism. This includes using LLMs for generating the essay structure, writing any portion of the text of the essay, and referencing. All of these ways to use LLMs are considered plagiarism in this class.

The essay word limit is 2000 (+ the 10% typical DPE allowance) and is due Monday March 9^rd at 15.00. It covers material from the first five weeks of module. You must use the DPE coversheet provided.

The final exam covers material from the entire semester and it will be in the form of mini essays. Students are typically communicated the exam date and time by the KCL exam office (not me or the DPE professional services) at the end of February/beginning of March.

Marking Weight:

• Mid-term essay: 50% of final mark.
• Final exam 50% of final mark.

Essay Questions:

1. Anthony Anghie claims that ‘my argument is that colonialism had shaped not only those doctrines of international law explicitly devised for the very purpose of suppressing the Third World, but also had also profoundly shaped the very foundations of international law, including the ostensibly neutral doctrine of sovereignty.’ (p.784). Evaluate this claim in relation to the existing rules of international law, including the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
2. Discuss Oona Hathaway and co-authors claim that the United States not complying with its international legal obligations hurts its own interests. Do you agree?
3. Discuss the case of Radovan Karadzic before the ICTY. What does the case demonstrate about the ability of international law to hold heads of state accountable for violations of international criminal law?
4. Politicians have made calls for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. Defend your position on this issue.
5. You can also write an essay on a topic of your choosing that is related to the topics that we discuss the first half of the module. If you choose this option, you must get approval for it first. Email me a paragraph or two with a well formulated question, a preliminary thesis and a brief list of additional readings (5-6) by Wednesday February 18 at 12 pm (last week before reading week). No late proposals will be accepted.

LIST OF TOPICS

1. History of International Law: DECLINE OR rESILIENCE?
2. Monism and Dualism
3. International Criminal Law
4. Human Rights
5. Transitional Justice
6. READING WEEK
7. Humanitarian Intervention
8. International Law of the Sea
9. International Economic Law
10. International Environmental Law
11. Compliance/POSSIBLE NEW TOPIC

Schedule and Readings

Week 1. The History of International Law.

Jan. 20   Cameroon-Nigeria Border Dispute (ICJ 2002 KEATS).

Randall Lesaffer, The Classical Law of Nations (1500-1800). Skim. (KEATS)

Anthony Anghie, ‘The Evolution of International Law: Colonial and Postcolonial Realities,’ Third World Quarterly,  Vol. 27, No. 5, 2006, pp. 739-753 (KEATS).

Recommended:

Visual timeline of the history of International law (OUP)

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/459289/The-History-of-International-Law/.

• Carmen Pavel, ‘The Ethics of State Consent to International Law,’ Global Constitutionalism, online first, June 2025.
• Carmen Pavel, ‘Hume, Dynamic Coordination and International Law,’ Political Theory, 49:2, 2021.

Anthony Anghie, Imperialism, Sovereignty, and the Making of International Law, (Cambridge University Press, 2007).

Ayse Zarakol, The first world orders were not European. They came from Asia | Aeon Essays

Catherine Lu, Justice and Reconciliation in World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

Allison Powers, Arbitrating Empire: United States Expansion and the Transformation of International Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024).

Hilary Charlesworth, Christine Chinkin and Shelley Wright, ‘Feminist Approaches to International Law’ The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 85, No. 4 (Oct., 1991), pp. 613-645.

Week 2. Skepticism of International Law. Monism and Dualism.

Jan. 27   Medellin v Texas (SCOTUS 2008) (KEATS).

Charter of the United Nations | United Nations Read Chapter I (Purposes and Principles), Chapter V (The Security Council) Chapter VI (Pacific Settlement of Disputes) and Chapter XIV (The International Court of Justice).

Oona Hathaway, International Law at Home; Enforcing International Treaties in US Courts, Yale Journal of International Law, (2012). P.51-62, 90-106.

Michael Stokes Paulsen, “The Constitutional Power to Interpret International Law,” 2009, Yale Law Journal. P.1763-1773.

Recommended:

Guglielmo Verdirame, “The Divided West: International Lawyers in Europe and America,” European Journal of International Law. (KEATS)

Carmen Pavel ‘Coercion and Justification: A Global Public Reason Perspective on Security Council Reform, ‘ Journal of Law and Society, 50:S1, 2023.

Carmen Pavel, Divided Sovereignty: International Institutions and the Limits of State Authority, OUP (2015), especially Ch 1- 3.

Gerhard van der Schyff, Anne Meuwese, ‘Dutch Constitutional Law in a Globalized World,’ Utrecht Law Review, 9:2, 2013.

Hans Kelsen, Principles of International Law, 1952 selections: 3-61, 401-451. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015021919280;view=1up;seq=7

Week 3. International Criminal Law

Feb. 3   Prosecutor v Radovan Karadžić (ICTY 2016/2019) (KEATS|)

The ICC Statute only p.1-19,.

Ch.9. Individual Accountability for Violations of Human Dignity: International Criminal Law and Beyond (textbook 475-476, 481-485, 515-542).

Recommended:

Lorna McGregor, ‘State Immunity and Jus Cogens’ The International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Vol. 55, No. 2 (Apr., 2006), pp. 437-445.

Michael A. Tunks, ‘Diplomats or Defendants? Defining the Future of Head-of-State Immunity’ Duke Law Journal, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Dec., 2002), pp. 651-682.

Yurika Ishii, International Law and the Investigation of Transnational Crimes, OUP 2025.

Criddle, E. J., & Fox-Decent, E. (2009), “A Fiduciary Theory of Jus Cogens,” Yale Journal of International Law, 34(2), 331–387.

Kevin Jon Heller, Darryl Robinson, Frédéric Mégret, Sarah MH Nouwen, and Jens David Ohlin

The Oxford Handbook of International Criminal Law, OUP 2025.

Henry Kissinger, ‘The Pitfalls of Universal Jurisdiction’ (2001) 80(4) Foreign Affairs pp 86-96.

Kenneth Roth, ‘Response: The Case for Universal Jurisdiction’ (2001) 80(5) Foreign Affairs pp 150-54.

Jiewuh Song, ‘Pirates and Torturers: Universal Jurisdiction as Enforcement Gap-Filling’. Journal of Political Philosophy, 23: 471–490, 2014.

Stephen Macedo, ed., Universal Jurisdiction National Courts and the Prosecution of Serious Crimes Under International Law (UPP, 2003).

Evan Criddle and Evan Fox-Decent, Fiduciaries of Humanity: How International Law Constitutes Authority OUP 2016.

Week 4. Human Rights I. Universalism and Relativism.

Feb. 10  Eremia and Others v Moldova, ECtHR 2013

Alice Donald, Jane Gordon and Philip Leach, The UK and the European Court of Human Rights, Equality and Human Rights Commission Research Report 83, 2012. Skim sections 4, 6, and 7, read everything else.

James Nickel, Making Sense of Human Rights, (Oxford Blackwell, 2007), Ch 1, 2, 3.

Recommended:

Domestic abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2025, Office of National Statistics.

ECtHR domestic Violence Factsheet

Sandra Fredman, ‘Gender Equality and Article 14  ECHR, Lady Hales’ Contribution’ in Justice for Everyone: The Jurisprudence and Legal Lives of Brenda Hale, Rosemary Hunter, Erika Rackley, eds., CUP 2022).

Home – Istanbul Convention Action against violence against women and domestic violence

GREVIO’s (Baseline) Evaluation Report on legislative and other measures giving effect to the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) UNITED KINGDOM June 18, 2025.

Lopez Soto Vs Venezuela (IACtHR 2018)

ESIL Reflections States’ Positive Obligations to Eradicate Domestic Violence: The Politics of Relevance in the Interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights

McQuigg, R. J. A. (2015). Domestic Violence as a Human Rights Issue: Rumor v. Italy. European Journal of International Law, 26(4), 1009 -1025.

Angelika Nussberger,  The European Court of Human Rights, OUP 2020.

Merris Amos, The Value of the European Court of Human Rights to the UK, European Journal of International Law, Volume 28, Issue 3, August 2017, Pages 763–785.

Andrew Williams,  ‘The European Convention on Human Rights, the EU and the UK: Confronting a Heresy’ European Journal of International Law, Volume 24, Issue 4, November 2013, Pages 1157–1185.

Ed Bates, The Evolution of the European Convention on Human Rights: From Its Inception to the Creation of a Permanent Court of Human Rights, OUP 2010.

William A Schabas, The European Convention on Human Rights: A Commentary, OUP 2015.

Zysset, Alain (2016) The ECHR and Human Rights Theory: Reconciling the Moral and the Political Conceptions. Routledge

Martha Nussbaum, Women and Human Development (CUP 2000), Ch. 1, ‘In Defense of Universal Values.’

James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, Ch 2.

Serene J Khader, ‘Toward a Decolonial Feminist Universalism’ in Serene J Khader, Decolonizing Universalism – A Transnational Feminist Ethic (OUP 2019).

Hilary Charlesworth, Christine Chinkin and Shelley Wright, ‘Feminist Approaches to International Law’ (1991) 85 American Journal of International Law 613.

Anne Orford, ‘Feminism, Imperialism and the Mission of International Law’ (2002) 71 Nordic Journal of International Law 275-296.

Sally Engle Marry, ‘Transnational Human Rights and Local Activism: Mapping the Middle’ (2006) 108(1) American Anthropologist 38.

Dana Collins, Sylvanna Falcón, Sharmila Lodhia and Molly Talcott, ‘New Direction in Feminism and Human Rights’ (2010) 12(3-4) International Feminist Journal of Politics 298-318 .

James Nickel, “Human Rights”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2014/entries/rights-human/>.

Week 5. Transitional  Justice

Feb. 17  UN Special Rapporteur Report on Sri Lanka (KEATS)

Leebaw, B. (2008) ‘The Irreconcilable Goals of Transitional Justice’, Human Rights Quarterly 30, pp. 95-118.

Murphy, C. (2017) ‘Circumstances of Transitional Justice’, in The Conceptual Foundations of Transitional Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Recommended:

Sharp, D. (2018) ‘Justice for Whom?’ in Rethinking Transitional Justice for the 21st Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Paige Arthur (ed.), Identities in Transition: Challenges for Transitional Justice in Divided Societies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010)

Claudio Corradetti, Nir Eisikovits and Jack Volpe Rotondi (eds.), Theorizing Transitional Justice (London: Routledge, 2015)

Samar El-Masri, Tammy Lambert and Joanna R. Quinn (eds.), Transitional Justice in Comparative Perspective: Preconditions for Success (Cham: Springer, 2020)

Jon Elster, Closing the Books: Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).

Leena Grover, ‘Transitional Justice, International Law and the United Nations’, Nordic Journal of International Law 88(3) (2020), pp. 359-397.

Catherine Lu, Justice and Reconciliation in World Politics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017)

Colleen Murphy, A Moral Theory of Political Reconciliation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010)

Ivor Sokolić, International Courts and Mass Atrocity: Narratives of War and Justice in Croatia (Cham: Springer, 2019)

Chandra Sriram (ed.), Transitional Justice in the Middle East and North Africa (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017)

Ruti Teitel, Globalizing Transitional Justice: Contemporary Essays (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014)

Leslie Vinjamuri and Jack Snyder, ‘Law and Politics in Transitional Justice’, Annual Review of Political Science 18 (2015), pp. 303-327.

Melissa S. Williams, Rosemary Nagy and Jon Elster (eds.) Transitional Justice: NOMOS LI (New York: NYU Press, 2012)

UN Special Rapporteur Report on South Korea

UN Special Rapporteur on Bosnia and Herzegovina

Reading week Feb 23-27. No office hours this week.

Week 6. Human Rights II. Humanitarian Intervention.

March 3  Shadi Hamid, Everyone says the Libya intervention was a failure. They’re wrong. Vox 2016.

Responsibility to Protect Document (R2P) skim.

Fernando R. Teson, “A Liberal Case for Humanitarian Intervention,” in Humanitarian Intervention Ethical, Legal and Political Dilemmas, (CUP, 2003).

Ian Hurd, “Is Humanitarian Intervention Legal? The Rule of Law in an Incoherent World,” Ethics & International Affairs 25, no. 3 (2011): 293–313.

Recommended:

Roundtable: Libya, R2P, and Humanitarian Intervention (articles by Pattison, Welsh, Bellamy, Chesterman, Weiss), Ethics and International Affairs, 25:3 2011

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?issueId=03&volumeId=25&jid=EIA

Michael Walzer, “The Moral Standing of States: A Response to Four Critics,” Philosophy and Public Affairs, 9: 3 (1980), pp. 209-229

Charli Carpenter, “Don’t Call This a Humanitarian Intervention,” Foreign Affairs,

August 2013.

Taylor Seybolt, Humanitarian Intervention: Conditions for Success and Failure (OUP 2007).

MIDTERM essay due Monday March 9 at 15.00.

Week 7. Responding to the First Global Commons Issue: The Law of the Sea.

Mar 10   Fisheries Jurisdiction Case (UK v Iceland, ICJ 1974) KEATS.

Ch 10. Responding to the First Global Commons Issue: The Law of the Sea. (textbook, Intro + Part II) 547-549, 564-580).

Recommended:

Eric A. Posner and Alan O. Sykes, “Economic Foundations of the Law of the Sea,“ The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 104, No. 4 (October 2010), pp. 569-596.

Mark J. Valencia, “Asia, the Law of the Sea and International Relations” International Affairs, 73:2, (1997), pp. 263-282.

Week 8. International Economic Law.

Mar. 17  US-Brazil Upland Cotton (WTO Appellate Body, 2005 KEATS).

                Ch 12. Managing the World Economy. (textbook, Intro + Part I, 665-678).

Recommended:

Gregory Schaffer, ‘Developing Country Use of the WTO Dispute Settlement System: Why it Matters, the Barriers Posed.’

Schwab, S. C. (2011) “After Doha: Why the Negotiations are Doomed and What we should do about It.” Foreign Affairs 90, no. 3: 104–117.

Rorden Wilkinson, What’s Wrong with the WTO and How to Fix It (Polity Press, 2014).

Wolfe, Robert. (2015). ‘First diagnose, then treat: what ails the Doha Round?’. World Trade Review, 14(1), 7-28.

Fatoumata Jawara and Aileen Kwa, Behind the Scenes at the WTO: The Real World of International Trade Negotiations/Lessons of Cancun (Zen Books, 2004).

Leif Wenar, “Coercion in Cross Border Property Rights,” Social Philosophy and Policy, 2015.

Carmen Pavel, “Negative Duties, the WTO and the Harm Argument,” Political Studies, 63:2, 2015.

Week 9. Unresolved Problems in the Global Commons: International Environmental Law.

Mar. 24  Whaling in the Antarctic Australia v Japan (ICJ 2014 KEATS)

Justin Gillis, “The Montreal Protocol, a Little Treaty That Could,” New York Times, 2013

Ch 11. Protecting the International Environment. (textbook – Intro + Parts II and III, 603-605, 626-662).

Recommended:

Ian Hurd: ‘Almost Saving Whales: The Ambiguity of Success at the International Whaling Commission’ Ethics and International Affairs, 26:1, 2012.

Quirin Schiermeier, “The Kyoto Protocol: Hot Air,” Nature, 2012

Ronald B. Mitchell “Regime Design Matters: International Oil Pollution and Treaty Compliance,” International Organization 48:3, 1994, 425-458. (KEATS)

Week 10. Compliance in International Law/Possible New Topic

Mar. 31 The Rainbow Warrior Affair

Oona A. Hathaway & Scott J. Shapiro, Outcasting: Enforcement in Domestic and International Law, 121 YALE L.J. 252 (2011).

Harold Hongju Koh, ‘Why do nations Obey International Law? Review Essay,’ The Yale Law Journal, 106: 8 (1997).

Recommended:

Oona A. Hathaway, Sabria McElroy, and Sara Aronchick Solow, “International Law at Home: Enforcing Treaties in U.S. Courts,” The Yale Journal of International Law 37, no. 1 (2012) (KEATS)

Andrew Guzman, How International Law Works: A Rational Choice Theory, (CUP 2009).

• Carmen Pavel, ‘‘Global and National Constitutionalism,’ Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory, Richard Bellamy and Jeff King, eds., 2025.

Carmen Pavel, Law Beyond the State: Dynamic Coordination, State Consent and Binding International Law (OUP 2021).

Monday 27 April – Friday 1 May 2026 Teaching/Revision Week.