Russian Perspectives on International Law

We are excited to launch the Symposium “Russian Perspectives on International Law”. It has been in planning for a while, and we were enthusiastic about the response to our call for contributions. The symposium is motivated by an interest in the manifold ways in which the Russian case vis-à-vis international law is special. Politically: Russia, belonging to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plays an important role with respect to international law-making and regarding international law’s effective implementation. Geographically: As the largest state in the world, Russia shares borders with 15 states, including the United States, China, North Korea, and three member states of the European Union. Historically: Russia, and the Soviet Union as its predecessor, formed a counterpoint to the dominance of the United States and Western Europe. This raises the question how this position developed in recent years and what role Russia plays in the contemporary international legal debate. All these aspects appear in the contributions that we are looking forward to sharing with you in the upcoming three weeks. Some will be cross-cutting reflections, dealing for instance with views on the relationship between the Russian Constitution and international norms or court decisions. Others are more thematically specific, looking, for example, at the disputes regarding the Crimean situation. We hope that you will enjoy the symposium!