Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture 2018

On 29 November 2018, Prof. Martti Koskenniemi (University of Helsinki/Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights) delivered the Fourth T.M.C. Asser Lecture on "International Law and the Far Right: Reflections on Law and Cynicism", at the Academy Hall of the Peace Palace, The Hague.

In an exclusive interview in Opinio Juris by Asser researcher Dimitri Van Den Meerssche, Prof. Koskenniemi further elaborated on the theme of the Annual Lecture by critically reflecting on the general state of international law, as well as its role in the rise of the far right. You can read the full interview here. Prof. Koskenniemi did an interview with the NRC Handelsblad, which is available here.

The programme can be found here.

Martti Koskenniemi is a Professor of International Law at the University of Helsinki and Director of the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights. He was a member of the Finnish diplomatic service in 1978-1994 and of the International Law Commission (UN) in 2002-2006. He has held visiting professorships in, among other places, New York University, Columbia University, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, and Universities of Brussels, Melbourne, Paris, Sao Paulo and Utrecht. He is a member of the Institut de droit international and a Fellow of the British Academy. He has a doctorate h.c. from the Universities of Uppsala, Frankfurt and McGill. His main publications include From Apology to Utopia; The Structure of International Legal Argument (1989/2005), The Gentle Civilizer of Nations: The Rise and Fall of International Law 1870-1960 (2001) and The Politics of International Law (2011). He is currently working on a history of international legal thought from the late medieval period to the 19th century.

Prof. Martti Koskenniemi at 4th Annual @TMCAsser Lecture: Those “left behind” and “missed the train” of #globalization do not want to be picked up. To the contrary, “they hate the train and everybody on the train”. pic.twitter.com/nM6hrjW9pN
— Joris Larik (@JorisLarik) 29 November 2018

Prof. Koskenniemi at #AsserAnnualLecture: The 90s as the “problematic decade”. Fragmentation and technocratization of #InternationalLaw. “There is no constitution. It’s a struggle out there.” pic.twitter.com/p8Biplebev
— Joris Larik (@JorisLarik) 29 November 2018

Prof. Martti Koskenniemi on the challenges presented by the proliferation of rights: “when everything is a right, nothing is a right” #intlaw @TMCAsser @HelsinkiLaw @PeacePalace pic.twitter.com/BqEio9nfa4
— Nicholas E. Ortiz (@NE_OrtizM) 29 November 2018

Very interesting @TMCAsser lecture of prof. Koskenniemi now at the @PeacePalace: “During the next protests, you should talk about justice, peace and equality and put that into practice. Because if you don’t, the only alternative is cynicism.” #backlash #internationallaw pic.twitter.com/WJnd7D8MTc
— Dr. Annemarie Middelburg (@MJMiddelburg) 29 November 2018

Martti Koskenniemi remarking on cynicism, the far right, and the #Selbstbestimmungsinitiative in Switzerland - as well as the age and gender of the disappointed Swiss in this image - at the 4th Annual Asser Lecture @TMCAsser pic.twitter.com/6y8kxAJSLg
— Corina Heri (@cohelongo) 29 November 2018

Prof. Martti Koskenniemi : "Far Right isn't about economic privileges, it is an ANXIETY provoked by the loss of white male privileges."
- Audience: *grinning from ear to ear* (at least I did) #AnnualAsserLecture @TMCAsser https://t.co/Md5G1Qm70h
— Manon Beury (@manonbeury) 1 December 2018

Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture 2018

Full lecture

Highlights

About Prof. Martti Koskenniemi

Impressions

Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture 2018

Full lecture

Highlights

About Prof. Martti Koskenniemi

Impressions

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