International Adjudication – Peace Through Law in our Times
A colloquium to commemorate the 150th birthday of Walther Schücking
This colloquium commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Walther Schücking on 6 January 1875. In 1923, about a century ago, Walther Schücking sat for the first time (as judge ad hoc) on the Permanent Court of International Justice. Throughout this troubled century, many international lawyers have advocated the idea of strengthening international adjudication as a way of achieving ‘peace through law’. Today, there seems to be more international adjudication than ever before, at least at the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court’s successor. However, it is questionable, whether this always serves the goal of peace (or even the actual settlement of disputes) and the rule of law. International adjudication is undoubtedly on the rise, but it is also challenged, not only by immense caseloads, but also by divergent expectations. International courts are involved in efforts to save humanity from evils such as climate change or the scourge of war (or supposed to ‘micromanage’ armed conflicts). The rise of strategic litigation has implications beyond the individual case, it aims at structural change, and international courts are gaining the attention of a global public. Since courts cannot choose their parties, the question that should be at the centre of scholarly interest is less whether or not the forums of international adjudication are misused or even abused in individual cases, as occasionally complained. At stake is whether the international judicial function is structurally stretched to its limits or even beyond – and how international judges can deal responsibly and wisely with the manifold challenges. These will be the overarching questions of our colloquium.
Please register until April 28: https://cloud.rz.uni-kiel.de/index.php/apps/forms/s/A4ycz4gjHfmGLzrkk3qBAEMc