US attacks on Venezuela and the abduction of Nicolás Maduro raise profound legal and geopolitical concerns, with implications well beyond Venezuela itself. In a new post co-authored with Julian Arato, we examine the attack and its broader consequences under international law.

Pleased to speak with @charliesavage.bsky.social about how the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela breaches the UN Charter and the Take Care Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

International law’s resilience requires literacy and legitimacy beyond international lawyers and scholars. @Patrickwintour.bsky.social @theguardian.com well bridges the divide here—including relationship with the “rules-based order” I have examined in recent years www.theguardian.com/law/ng-inter...

Nice surprise to catch this little glimpse of the now @humboldtuni.bsky.social law school, in the Altes Palais on Unter den Linden—Eduard Gartner (1845), Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Madrid.

Honoured to deliver a Madrid keynote at @uc3m.es workshop ‘Global Justice in a Changing Global Order: Existing Models and Future Frameworks’—on exceptions/‘exceptionalism’ and the ICC. Concluding with a site visit to Valle de los Caídos, Franco’s fascist monument and former tomb.

The central concept of the newly released U.S. National Security Strategy appears to be security defined in “hemispheric” terms—the terminology appears 27 times. Fixed on a so-called “Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine” across the “Western Hemisphere” www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

#NewProfilePic (as my one from 8 years ago became increasingly implausibly youthful👴)

Genuinely impressive first day of @nyu.edu U.S.-Asia Law Institute workshop ‘Decoding China’s Foreign-Related Rule of Law’, 21–22 November. My own paper on China’s quest to remake forms of ‘hegemonic legitimacy’ defining the international legal order—📖forthcoming.

Proof of concept in New York🗽, with all three editors of the forthcoming “Elgar Encyclopedia of Law and Diplomacy” finally in the same city at the same time @elgarpublishing.bsky.social—with @peggymcguinness.bsky.social and @ramseswessel.bsky.social

Yesterday’s lecture on the shift “From International Legal Order to Geolegal Orders”, at the College of Law, National Taipei University,Taiwan🇹🇼 Thanks to Prof. Wendy Ho for hosting and the impressive student questions!

An honour to meet with the Dean of College of Law and Politics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung Taiwan🇹🇼 Followed by a seminar with grad students on the changing international legal order and international economic law - many thanks to Prof. Cindy Whang for hosting!

“America at 250” @americanacademy.bsky.social, with Jeffrey Goldberg, Helen Lewis, George Packer, and Ashley Parker @theatlantic.com—“Trump is the end of American exceptionalism” - we’re now just like everyone else

Dick #Cheney was no “neocon” in the proper sense of that term, but given some of the public praise he’s now receiving it’s worth reminding of his catastrophic legacy in office—in terms of eroding global security and in polarising domestic politics verfassungsblog.de/the-neocons-...

Spotted: Part of the old GDR “Palast der Republik” lives on at a Berlin Music venue 🇩🇪🚩

10th Annual Carl Schmitt Lecture @humboldtuni.bsky.social, Prof. Martti Koskenniemi: “The Search for the Social in International Law: Remarks on a Critical Theme”

Thomas Franck Lecture @freieuniversitaet.bsky.social: Prof. @oonahathaway.bsky.social “War Unbound”, on the breakdown of International Humanitarian Law

Chilling verfassungsblog.de/the-neocons-...

The architects of the Iraq War–Condoleezza Rice, John Bolton, and Philip Zelikow–recently appeared at German foreign-policy circles. MALCOLM JORGENSEN warns against rehabilitating the neocons – and explains why they should not be advising on a new security order: verfassungsblog.de/the-neocons-...

Trump's policy that US is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels as “unlawful combatants” demonstrates what I've termed the shift towards "geolegal" orders—where interpretation and operation of international law depends foremost on configurations of geostrategic power. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

My book now published #openaccess: “American Foreign Policy Ideology and The International Rule of Law: Contesting Power through the International Criminal Court” (Cambridge UP, 2020). More timely in 2025 than ever, with ICC politics a key battleground for international law doi.org/10.1017/9781...

1/2 My exchange with Condoleezza Rice at the American Academy in Berlin. Only critical intervention of the event, despite obvious contradiction of speaking on “What Comes Next? Imagining a New Economic and Security Commons”, without acknowledging her role undermining the current international order.

Opening of the 2025 European Society of International Law Annual Conference “Reconstructing International Law” @esil-sedi.bsky.social @freieuniversitaet.bsky.social

🙋🏻‍♂️

Declaring that the US Department of Defense/“War” will be guided by “maximum lethality—not tepid legality” is as explicit a rejection of the international legal order as one can imagine #intlaw

Pleased to contribute comments for this #CBC ‘About That’ investigative report on the history and politics of the International Criminal Court—and significance of recent US sanctions against #ICC judges and senior personnel including 🇨🇦Judge Kimberly Prost youtu.be/mBW6DOss67w

‘One Of The Most Advanced Militaries In The World Accidentally Hits Another Hospital Again’ via @betootaadvocate.bsky.social www.betootaadvocate.com/uncategorize...

Six Viewpoints on the Future of the International Legal Order and the Role of International Courts | by Philippa Webb and Lydia Kim

Today’s episode of The Ezra Klein Show. When Is It Genocide? Philippe Sands discusses how to think about the tragedies in Gaza through the lens of international law. open.spotify.com/episode/0ZBm... youtu.be/RrhBypHFYPY?...

Do statehood and sovereignty persist when a state sinks? AURELIO CORNEO and JUDITH SCHERER examine what the ICJ says on this question in its climate advisory opinion and explore the issues of territory, population, and government in times of climate crisis. verfassungsblog.de/montevideo-c...

Prof. Dapo Akande, UK candidate for the ICJ, speaking at @humboldtuni.bsky.social, Berlin on “Is the International Legal Order Eroding? And If So, What Can be Done About it?”

Last week’s Berlin workshop with authors from every continent, for a forthcoming edited volume: “Comparative International Legal Policy: National, Regional and Transnational Approaches”. An interdisciplinary look at political approaches towards international legal order📖🌏

Join us in Berlin next Wed. 2 July, for an exceptional public forum @Humboldt University: “The Politics of International Law: How do States Aim to Change the International Legal Order?”—5 leading scholars from diverse perspectives debating foreign policies towards international law. RSVP [email protected]

Turns out that the unlawful use of force is illegal for a reason. www.justsecurity.org/109537/upend...

Join us in Berlin next Wed. 2 July, for an exceptional public forum @Humboldt University: “The Politics of International Law: How do States Aim to Change the International Legal Order?”—5 leading scholars from diverse perspectives debating foreign policies towards international law. RSVP [email protected]

A pretty clear signal that the internal legal advice was: “there is no way to spin this as legal”; which, in fairness, is the only available assessment.

Thoughts from John Bolton: ◦Takes no responsibility for foreign policy ideas influencing Trump ◦🇬🇱 a part of American landmass “I would personally welcome American sovereignty over Greenland” ◦Gaza War solution is to remove Palestinians from their own lands and abolish UNRWA

When your sister @astridjorgensen.bsky.social has a much cooler job than you #AGT #pubchoir youtu.be/DckioIUhP1I?...

The best conference so far this year! Congratulations to @ninareiners.bsky.social & @debremaria.bsky.social on fostering such a rich interdisciplinary discussion on this timely topic! Not to mention an incredible opening event at the historic Norwegian Nobel Institute!

Flying over Greenland…no American flags in sight🇬🇱

Great start to 3 days of discussion at the “Autocracies as International Lawmakers” Workshop, University of Oslo - hosted by @ninareiners.bsky.social @debremaria.bsky.social 🇳🇴

Working with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background is possibly the best office view I will ever have - thanks to @fgvoficial.bsky.social Rio Law for the research stay 🇧🇷

Possible international law consequences for the election of #PopeLeoXIV - with statements directly opposing UN values by one of the leading conservative rivals for the post #intlaw

#auspol #ausvotes #ausvotes25

A pleasure to speak at the “Association for Global Political Thought Annual Conference @americanuniversity.bsky.social in Washington D.C.—on the shift “From International Legal Order to Geolegal Orders: The Politics of ‘Multipolarity’ in International Law”

Reunion of @kfgintlaw.bsky.social alumni for the “Association for Global Political Thought Annual Conference”, School of International Service, @americanuniversity.bsky.social—Washington D.C.

Happening now: “The First 100 Days: Trump 2.0 and U.S.-Taiwan and Cross Strait Relations” Sigur Center, Elliott School @gwu1821.bsky.social - Washington DC

Pleased to announce my upcoming talk for the U.S.-Asia Law Institute @nyulaw.bsky.social: 'Multipolarity, Civilizations and Universality in International Law', Monday, 28 April 2025, 14:00-15:30 EDT. I look forward to seeing any colleagues attending in person or via Zoom usali.org/events/multi...

Awake uncomfortably early this Berlin Saturday morning for a remote Shanghai-afternoon talk on ‘China’s Foreign Relations Law: Multipolarity and “Fundamental Norms Governing International Relations”’—for @nyulaw.bsky.social US-Asia Law Institute

Welcome drinks for “Singapore Geoeconomics Forum 2025”—promising to be an invigorating few days ahead, including my panel discussion on “The Future of Multilateral Lawfare” www.geoeconomics.fi/event/singap...