The first panel on Friday, “Cities as Global Norm-Shapers: Urban Power at the New Frontiers of International Law, featured a conversation with Ambassador Nina L. Hachigian (ret.), Alliance for Local Leaders International, moderated by Kai Raustiala, UCLA School of Law. The second panel, “Revisting the Use of Force: Legal Norms, State Practice, and Emerging Contours in International Law,” included Michael Kelly, Creighton University School of Law; ABILA President Michael Scharf, Case Western Reserve University School of Law; David Glazier, Loyola Law School; and Rachel VanLandingham, Southwestern Law School. The third panel, “Reflecting on the Ongoing Negotiations for a New Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity: Challenges and Prospects,” was composed of Leila Sadat, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law; Gissou Nia, Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council; Hannah Garry, USC Gould School of Law; and Saira Mohamed, UC Berkeley Law.

Saturday began with a Keynote Speech on “Standing Up for International Law” by Michael Scharf. At a time when international law and institutions are under attack, he said that academics, business executives, law firm heads, judges, and leaders of international associations like the ABILA can make a difference by taking a stand. The first Saturday panel, “Artificial Intelligence and the Boundaries of International Law,” featured Julia Powles, UCLA School of Law; Peter Yu, Texas A&M School of Law; Ioanna Tourkochoriti, University of Baltimore School of Law; and Nina Toft Djanegara, UCLA School of Law. Speaking on the second panel, “A Necessary IDEA: International Human Rights Law and U.S. Public Policy in Differential Treatment of Social Groups,” were Chandra Bhatnagar, ACLU of Southern California; Kevin R. Johnson, University of California Davis; Kelley Loper, University of Denver Sturm College of Law; Jerry Kang, UCLA School of Law; and Aaron Fellmeth, Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. The final panel, “Protest and International Law,” included Alison Dundes Renteln, University of Southern California; Shenali Pilapitiya, University of Southern California; Florian Kriener, Max Planck Institute, Yale Law School; Federico Barillas Schwank, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law; Bahar Mirhosseni, Cornell Law School; and Jess Peake, UCLA School of Law.

ILW West was organized by Professor Jess Peake, Director of UCLA’s International and Comparative Law Program, and Alyssa Krieger, Program Coordinator. Articles generated by the conference speakers will be published in the UCLA Journal of International Law in its 30th volume in 2026.

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Regarding the United States Attack on Iran

March 6, 2026

Founded more than one hundred years ago, the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) is dedicated to the study, clarification, and development of International Law and the advancement of peace, human rights, and justice worldwide. At its last quarterly meeting, on January 16, 2026, by a vote of 30-0, the ABILA Board issued a statement condemning the U.S. intervention in Venezuela as unlawful and unjustifiable under international law. Between Board meetings, it sometimes falls to the ABILA President to issue Statements on important matters of international concern related to our mandate.

In the past week, the United States and Israel have unleashed massive aerial attacks against Iran and have targeted and killed the country’s leader. Iran has responded with an explosion of violence across the Middle East.

Having consulted with the ABILA Board, I issue this Statement to condemn the unlawful U.S. military intervention against Iran and to express grave concerns about the scope of Iran’s retaliation.

The prohibition on the use of force became a universal norm with the adoption of the U.N. Charter after World War II, and with the imposition of accountability for violations at Nuremberg – accomplishments in which the United States played a leading role. That prohibition is the keystone of the modern international legal order. Not coincidentally, despite intermittent conflicts, the 80 years since the establishment of the United Nations have been the most peaceful in human history, enabling unprecedented advances in human rights, development, and equality.

Those achievements are now at risk, with potentially devastating consequences.

The U.S. attacks against Iran cannot be justified as lawful self-defense. Iran has not attacked the United States, and even the Pentagon recognizes that there was no evidence of an imminent Iranian attack.

Rather, a decision was made to “pre-empt” any possible Iranian attack on a theory of self-defense against speculative future threats, such as nuclear proliferation or terrorism. However, the notion of preemptive war, which is the same theory that the Russian Federation invoked for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, has never been accepted as legitimate. Acceptance of such a doctrine would not only destabilize the Middle East but also increase the risk of war everywhere.

Some have suggested a further rationale: ending the atrocities committed by the Iranian regime. Iran has unquestionably supported terrorism abroad and perpetrated widespread violence against peaceful protesters at home. But humanitarian intervention under the “responsibility to protect” (R2P) doctrine must be carried out pursuant to Chapters VI and VII of the U.N. Charter under the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, which would have required United Nations authorization in this case.

Much debate in the United States has focused on whether the decision to launch a war by the President complied with U.S. law since Congress is given the power to declare War under Article I § 8 of the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Act in implementation thereof. This is indeed a weighty question, but it is not the only one.  U.S. military action abroad is governed by both U.S. law and international law. Accordingly, U.S. military intervention in Iran would have violated international law even had Congress approved it.

Only by respecting the limits on the use of force can the United States credibly condemn unlawful aggression and war crimes by other States, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If this most fundamental rule of international law is weakened through repeated violations, the world risks returning to a system in which power, rather than law, dictates outcomes—a world incompatible with peace, human rights, equality, and sustainable development.

While the ABILA is non-partisan in nature, it is committed to peace, justice, and the rule of law – values that are threatened by the U.S. attacks on Iran. The ABILA therefore urges the United States to end this unlawful military action without delay and to reclaim its rightful role as a defender of the international legal order it helped to build, and from which the American people have immeasurably benefited.

Michael P. Scharf

President of the American Branch of the International Law Association

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INTERNATIONAL LAW WEEKEND 2026 

Call for Panel Proposals

[R]evolution in the International Legal Order

DEADLINE EXTENDED: APRIL 10, 2026 APRIL 20, 2026

The American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) is pleased to invite proposals for International Law Weekend 2026 (ILW 2026). ILW 2026 will take place October 22-24, 2026, in New York City.

The International Law Weekend 2026 Co-Chairs are Brady Mabe (International Committee of the Red Cross), Jess Peake (UCLA School of Law), and Lisa Reinsberg (UC Berkeley School of Law). The unifying theme for ILW 2026 is [R]evolution in the International Legal Order.

This conference will examine the currents of revolution and evolution simultaneously reshaping the international legal order at a pivotal moment of transition. Shifts in global power, challenges to bedrock legal principles, including the prohibition on the use of force, and retreat from long-standing international commitments pose challenges to the status quo, creating both uncertainty and opportunities for renewal. As some traditionally dominant states scale back their engagement with international law and institutions, space opens to reconsider the global distribution and exercise of authority and responsibility. 

The interdisciplinary conference will explore how states and regional groupings can step forward to uphold, reinterpret, and strengthen international law through cooperation, innovation, and leadership. It will situate these developments within longer trajectories of change in geopolitics and international governance, including those driven by states that gained independence after the United Nations’ founding. It will also highlight the constructive roles of international institutions, non-state actors, and civil society in sustaining, contesting, and advancing legal norms. Rather than signaling decline, these changes invite reflection on what international law might become: more inclusive, more resilient, and better equipped to address contemporary global challenges through diversified sources of legitimacy, power, and collective responsibility.

When submitting your proposal, please consider the following points:

• ILW 2026 will promote representation and dialogue among diverse voices. Per the ILA Guidelines for Diversity of Conference and Panel Speakers, all panels must contain gender parity. Further, the Committee will give preference to panels that include representation of historically underrepresented groups and promote dialogue across different professional perspectives, including scholars and practitioners.
• Panel proposals may concern any aspect of international law and practice including, but not limited to, the use of force, international economic law (including trade and investment), international human rights law, equality and social justice, international humanitarian law, international organizations, international environmental law, national security, cyber law, international criminal law, international intellectual property, the law of the sea and outer space, and legal theory. When submitting your proposal, please identify the primary area(s) of international law that your proposed panel will address.
• Your panel proposal should include a title and a paragraph description of your panel.  In addition, please provide the names, titles, and affiliations of the moderator and speakers, and indicate whether these speakers have confirmed their intent to participate if the proposal is chosen. Panels with confirmed speakers will be given preference. If your proposal is selected, all speakers must be confirmed by August 1, 2026, at the absolute latest. 
• Please keep in mind that while speakers may be proposed for multiple panels, it is the Branch’s policy that individuals may speak on only one panel at ILW to ensure a diversity of voices. It is the responsibility of the panel proposers and speakers to avoid any duplication.
• Please specify the format you propose for your panel. We encourage you to think beyond traditional panel presentations or lectures, such as debates and roundtable discussions. This includes the possibility of organizing an online webinar, which has led to some excellent sessions with very large attendance.
• While International Law Weekend is and will remain firmly rooted in international law, we particularly welcome interdisciplinary panel proposals that reflect on the theme of ILW 2026 from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Please indicate whether you are an ABILA member and whether your panel is sponsored by an ABILA committee. Preference will be given to panels sponsored by a Committee. Committees may only sponsor one proposal. Committee sponsorship requires the agreement of the committee chair. A list of ABILA Committees and Chairs can be found on the ABILA Website.

All decisions regarding panel selection, including the final composition and description of panels, are at the sole discretion of the ILW Organizing Committee. The Committee may work with panel proposers on the description and speakers prior to and following selection. Once a panel is accepted, any change in panelists must be approved in advance by the ILW Organizing Committee.  

Organizers of selected panels must commit to delivering their session as scheduled, including securing timely replacements for any last-minute speaker cancellations. This policy helps ensure a complete and reliable program while maintaining fairness to those whose panel proposals were not accepted.

Information for Committee Chairs:

• Please only submit one panel proposal per Committee. We encourage Committees to work together and cosponsor panel proposals; this will be considered as an even stronger endorsement.
• Please confer with your Committee membership for panel ideas and input. If you need assistance downloading your Committee email roster, please contact Freya and Laurie at media@ila-americanbranch.org.
• If your panel is not selected, Committees may be offered a pre International Law Weekend webinar slot. 
• Additionally, this year, Committee Networking Workshops will be available on Saturday morning, from 8AM to 9AM. Co-Chairs may use this hour as they wish, including for book discussions and informal panel sessions. Further details about the workshops will be sent later in the year.

For questions regarding ILW 2026, please contact: ilw@ila-americanbranch.org.

ILW 2026 Panel Proposal Form

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2025 Student Ambassadors and ABILA Membership Officer Julia Liston

Student Ambassadors 

Call for Nominees

Deadline: Friday, March 27, 2026 (early nominations encouraged)

The International Law Association (American Branch) seeks nominations for its Student Ambassadors program. This is a terrific way for law students to network with leading academics and practitioners, as well as other students, and it will look great on their resume. All Branch members are invited to nominate students for this position. Interested students are encouraged to seek the support of a professional ABILA member to support their application (such as a professor at their school). If a student cannot find an ABILA member to nominate them, they should contact ABILA’s COO at media@ila-americanbranch.org to discuss self-nominations.

Student Ambassadors support the organization’s work, especially in preparing for International Law Weekend 2026 (ILW 2026). ILW is held annually by the Branch and will take place in New York City on October 22-24, 2026. Read about the 2025 Student Ambassadors here, Vibha Bangarbale’s panel reflection here, Claire Barrington’s panel reflection here, and Chioma Menankiti’s here.

Student Ambassadors will work with several Branch leaders, including the ILW Organizing Committee Chairs, the Branch President, the Chief Operating Officer, Vice Presidents, the Membership Officer, the CLE Officer, and the Co-Directors of Studies to provide various forms of assistance with ILW and the Branch more generally. Student Ambassadors will have the opportunity to voice their opinions in ILW2026 preparation meetings, learn about conference organization, write for the ABILA blog and Newsletter, and network with international law professionals. Most importantly, Student Ambassadors will provide logistical support throughout International Law Weekend itself. Financial support is available to assist Student Ambassadors in attending ILW.

Members are invited to forward their nominee’s cover letter and CV to Freya Doughty-Wagner (media@ila-americanbranch.org) with the subject line “Student Ambassador Application.” Members are encouraged to include a few sentences supporting the nominee in their email.  Questions should also be sent to this email address.

As a reminder, student membership in the American Branch of the International Law Association is free and can be signed up for on our website’s membership page.

Please see the flyer to advertise these positions here.

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Whereas, on January 3, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that, at his command, U.S. war planes attacked Venezuelan defenses and military forces entered the country and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were transported to New York to stand trial on federal narcotics charges.

Whereas, President Trump has further announced that the United States will “run” Venezuela for a transitional period and seize some of its oil “in the form of reimbursement.”

Whereas, this followed four months of U.S. airstrikes against more than 35 Venezuelan and Colombian-flagged vessels, including follow-up attacks to kill survivors; the imposition of a blockade of oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela; the seizure of several of those tankers; and the deployment of a large military force in the Caribbean near Venezuela.

Whereas, this action by the United States has been met with condemnation by the American Society of International Law, the International Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and numerous leaders around the globe, including U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who said he was “deeply alarmed” about the “dangerous precedent” the United States was setting.

Whereas, the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) is dedicated to the study, clarification, and development of International Law and the advancement of peace, human rights, and justice worldwide, and from time to time, the ABILA Board of Directors issues Statements on important matters of international concern that are related to the ABILA’s mandate.

Now be it therefore resolved by the ABILA Board of Directors:

1. The ABILA Board expresses grave concern that the actions described above constitute violations of customary international law as well as Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter (which prohibits force against the territorial integrity of States except when authorized by the Security Council or in response to an armed attack), the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas (which prohibits attacks on vessels outside of war), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (which prohibits the extrajudicial killing of suspected narcotics traffickers) — treaties that the United States has ratified and with respect to which it is obliged to comply.

2. The ABILA Board further expresses alarm that these actions endanger regional and international peace and set a destabilizing precedent for the world.

3. While not condoning the Maduro regime, the ABILA Board rejects the Administration’s justification for these actions, namely that they constituted a legitimate exercise of the right of self-defense in response to the threat posed by narco-terrorists and/orlaw enforcement action to arrest Maduro, as incompatible with international law.

4. The ABILA will do its utmost to educate Americans (including members of the Administration, Congress, and the Bar) about the responsibility of the United States to act consistent with, and to prevent further violations of, international law.

Adopted at its regular meeting on January 16, 2026, by a vote of 30 in favor, 0 opposed.

The post Statement of the Board of Directors of the American Branch of the International Law Association Regarding the United States Intervention in Venezuela appeared first on ABILA.

2025 Student Ambassadors and ABILA Membership Officer Julia Liston

On Thursday, October 23, 2025, before the Presidential Opening Plenary, the Emerging Voices session was held at the New York City Bar Association. Mark Janis (William F. Starr Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law) acted as the discussant, and Christine Carpenter (PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge) moderated the session. The speakers were Kazım Berkay Arslan (Associate, Kabine Law Office LLP), Annika Knauer (Research Fellow and PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg), Emmanuel U. Osayande (dual JD-PhD Candidate, Columbia Law School and Harvard University), and Naida Softić (PhD Candidate and Teaching Instructor, Loyola University, Chicago).

2025 Emerging Voices

The Presidential Opening Plenary was held on Thursday evening, October 23, 2025. Amity Boye (President-Elect, ABILA), Leila Nadya Sadat (Chair, ABILA), and Muhammad U. Faridi (President, New York City Bar Association) gave welcome remarks. The Presidential Opening Plenary interviewee was Ana Peryó Llopis, Principal Legal Officer at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Michael P. Scharf (President, ABILA) interviewed Ms. Peryó Llopis about her career, the United Nations funding crisis, and recently issued Advisory Opinions. An audience question-and-answer session and a drinks reception for all attendees followed her interview.

Ana Peryó Llopis and Michael P. Scharf; Amity Boye

On Friday, October 24, 2025, the day began with a Women’s Networking Breakfast, co-sponsored by ArbitralWomen, the American Society of International Law’s Women in International Law Interest Group, Arnold & Porter LLP, and Low & Kinnear Dispute Resolution. The Friday Keynote was titled ‘The Future of International Arbitration,’ and featured Meg Kinnear (Co-Founder, Low & Kinnear Dispute Resolution), Lucinda Low (Co-Founder, Low & Kinnear Dispute Resolution), and Mélida Hogdson (Partner, Anrold & Porter LLP; President, ASIL). Joseph Landau (Dean and Paul Fuller Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law) gave welcome remarks.

Meg Kinnear, Lucinda Low, and Mélida Hodgson; Joseph Landau

On Friday, October 24, 2025, the panels were:

• Customary International Law: What Role Can It Play in Responding to Contemporary Global Crises? (chaired by Brian D. Lepard)
• UN Roundtable: Leading Diplomats Reflect on the UN at 80 (chaired by Floriane Lavaud; sponsored by Withers LLP)
• The Digital Divide in International Cyber Law (chaired by Christine Carpenter)
• Crisis, Courts, and Sovereigns: Rethinking Immunity and Enforcement in a Shifting Global Order (co-chaired by Alec Albright and Beatrice Walton)
• Planning a Career in International Law (chaired by Taylor Kilpatrick)
• International Tribunals and Cultural Heritage Destruction: War Crimes, Persecution, Genocide & Discrimination (chaired by Anne-Marie Carstens)
• The International Criminal Court: Surviving the Onslaught? (chaired by Patrick J. Keenan)
• The WTO and the Pandemic Agreement: A Simulation of the TRIPS Council During a Pandemic Emergency (chaired by Matthew Carvalho)
• General Counsel Roundtable: Local Practice on a Global Scale (chaired by Randel Young; sponsored by Womble Bond Dickinson LLP)
• From Ambition to Action? The Sustainable Development Goals Ten Years On (chaired by Perpétua Chéry)
• A “New” Role for the International Court of Justice? (chaired by Francesco Messineo)
• Negotiating the Future Crimes Against Humanity Treaty: Paradigm Shift or Half-Measure? (chaired by Leila Nadya Sadat)
• Towards “Un-Crisis” Thinking in Global Migration Law (chaired by Monica Iyer)
• Taking Stock of the World Trading System (chaired by Richard H. Steinberg)
• International Organization Secretariats as Crisis Managers and Change-Makers (chaired by Michael J. Moffatt)
• AI and International Humanitarian Law: Emerging Norms (chaired by Duncan Hollis)
• Creative Solutions for Accountability for Gender-Based Violence and Other Crimes in International Law (chaired by Esti Tambay)
• The Second Century of the Federal Arbitration Act (chaired by H. Christopher Boehning)
• Narrative Strategies in International Environmental Law (chaired by Megan Corrarino)

International Tribunals and Cultural Heritage Destruction: War Crimes, Persecution, Genocide & Discrimination; The Second Century of the Federal Arbitration Act

On Friday evening, October 24, 2025, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York City hosted a Reception at 466 Lexington Avenue. Leila Nadya Sadat, Valerie Oosterveld (Professor and Research Chair in International Criminal Justice, University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law), and Beatrice Maille (Minister-Counsellor and Legal Adviser, Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York City) gave remarks.

Beatrice Maille; the Canadian Mission

Saturday, October 25, 2025, opened with a Member’s Meeting and the ABILA Annual Award Presentations. Brenda Hollis received the ABILA Outstanding Achievement Award, and her colleague, JC Johnson, accepted the award on her behalf. Read her remarks here. Houston Putnam Lowry received the Charles Siegal Distinguished Service Award. The ABILA Book of the Year Award went to José E. Alvarez and Judith Bauder for Women’s Property Rights Under CEDAW (OUP); the ABILA Award for a Book on a Practical or Technical Subject went to Sir Michael Wood and Omri Sender for Identification of Customary International Law (OUP); the ABILA Book Award for a First-time Author went to Erin Pobjie for Prohibited Force: The meaning of “Use of Force” in International Law (CUP); and the ABILA Best Edited Volume Award went to Alejandro Chehtman, Alexandra Huneeus, and Sergio Puig for Latin American International Law in the Twenty-First Century (OUP). Read more about their awards here.

JC Johnson accepting Brenda Hollis’ Outstanding Achievement Award; Erin Pobjie accepting the ABILA Book Award for a First-time Author

Sir Howard Morrison (Former Judge with the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; UK Advisor on war crimes to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General) gave the Saturday lunch keynote over Zoom. William Aceves (Chief Justice Roger Traynor Professor of Law, California Western School of Law).

William Aceves introducing Sir Howard Morrison

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, the panels were:

• Public Health and Human Rights: New Tensions and Synergies (chaired by Warren Binford)
• What Today’s Wars Mean for Tomorrow’s International Legal Order (chaired by Gabor Rona)
• Toward a Regional Human Rights Framework in the Middle East: Aspirations, Realities, and Lessons from Comparative Regionalism (chaired by Harout Ekmanian)
• Global Energy Governance – Strategic Weapon or Tool for Peace? (chaired by Frédéric Sourgens)
• Keeping Sinking States Afloat: The Crisis of Climate Change-Induced Sea-Level Rise and the International Legal Framework (chaired by Claire Robertson)
• Combatting State Hostage-Taking through International Law (chaired by Beatrice Maille)
• Global Business at a Crossroads: Navigating a New Fragmented Reality (chaired by William Burke-White)
• The Role of Civil Society in the Face of the Crisis of the International Legal Order (chaired by Margaret E. McGuinness)
• Does Investor-State Arbitration Impede Responses to Climate Change? (chaired by David L. Attanasio)
• Crimes Against the Environment, Nature, and Biodiversity – Progresses and Gaps in the Law of International and Transnational Crimes (chaired by Milena Sterio)
• Jessup Compromis/Q&A (chaired by Michael Peil)
• State Capture and Kleptocracy: Reimagining International Law On Anti-Corruption in an Age of Kleptocracy (chaired by Belén Aguinaga)
• The Force of Law for Good: Renewing the Global Commitment to Pro Bono (chaired by Amity Boye)
• Charting the Deep: An Oxford-Style Debate on the Future of Seabed Governance (chaired by Konstantine Kopaliani)
• Hot Topic: The Legality of Military Strikes on Drug Traffickers (chaired by Michael P. Scharf)
• Pathways to Employment in International Law (co-chaired by Angela Benson and Michael Peil)

Global Energy Governance – Strategic Weapon or Tool for Peace?; International Law Weekend 2025 audience

The American Branch extends its gratitude to the 2025 ILW Program Committee, composed of: William Aceves (Co-Chair, California Western School of Law), Amity Boye (Co-Chair, ABILA), Jessica Peake (Co-Chair, UCLA Law), Christine Carpenter (University of Cambridge), Perpétua Chéry (ABILA), Megan Corrarino (Just Security), Julia K. Eppard (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP), M. Imad Khan (Winston & Strawn LLP), Konstantine Kopaliani (White & Case LLP), Brady Mabe (International Committee of the Red Cross), S. Priya Morley (NYU School of Law), Douglas Pivnichny (United Nations), Lisa Reinsberg (International Justice Resource Center), Christine Ryan (Columbia Law School), Alveena Shah (University of Pittsburgh School of Law), Milena Sterio (Cleveland State University College of Law), Peter Tzeng (Foley Hoag LLP), and Elisabeth Wickeri (Fordham University School of Law).

Michael P. Scharf, M. Imad Khan, Jessica Peake, William Aceves, Amity Boye, Leila Nadya Sadat, Lisa Reinsberg, and Freya Doughty-Wagner

The American Branch also gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following sponsors of ILW 2025: American Bar Association International Law Section, the American Society of International Law, ArbitralWomen, University of Baltimore School of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Brill Publishing, California Western School of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Chaffetz Lindsey LLP, University of Chicago Law School, Columbia Law School, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Ford & Paulekas LLP, Fordham University School of Law, Freshfields LLP, Georgetown Law, University of Georgia School of Law Dean Rusk International Law Center, Harvard Law School, the International Law Students Association, Just Security, King & Spalding LLP, New York University School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law, University of Pittsburgh Law, Seton Hill Law School, The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Toppan Merrill, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, and Winston & Strawn LLP.

The post International Law Weekend 2025 Overview appeared first on ABILA.

Acceptance Remarks

Delivered 25 October 2025 (reward accepted by JC Johnson)

Thank you for honoring me with this award. It is an honor to be recognized in this way, but even more of an honor to have been nominated by outstanding professionals who are deserving of the award based on the contributions each has made to the development of international criminal law. And to stand in the company of such distinguished former recipients, who have made immeasurable contributions to the advancement of international law.

I write to you from Ukraine, where the men and women of the investigative and prosecutorial branches of the Ukrainian government continue to advance the rule of law in most challenging times. So, to my regret, I cannot be with you to thank you in person.  Jim Johnson, my longtime friend and colleague, is accepting the award on my behalf. Jim has himself made significant contributions to international criminal law, and I thank you, Jim, for standing in for me today.

It is of particular significance to me that  I receive this honor at a conference dedicated to exploring how crises can shape international law.  My involvement in investigation and prosecution of international crimes has been possible because of the international community’s response to crises – those arising from the horrific crimes of the Nazis in WWII, those carried out against the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Ukraine, Palestine and Israel, and of too many other countries.

The response to each of these crises, and the efforts of the exceptional men and women who ensured the effective implementation of these responses,  has shaped international criminal law as we know it today.

I accept this honor with great humility, for many reasons. First and foremost because I am being given an award for work I have been privileged to do, both as an Air Force officer and judge advocate who prosecuted crimes, and as a prosecutor at several international criminal tribunals and courts. It is my great and continuing privilege to be part of the effort to bring some measure of justice to victims of life altering crimes, and some measure of accountability to those responsible for these crimes.

Also, because throughout my career in the Air Force and at the international criminal courts and tribunals, I have had the privilege of working with gifted, dedicated women and men.  Women and men who have remained steadfast in their commitment to the rule of law, and to the most critical component of justice and accountability measures  – independent, impartial investigation and prosecution based on facts and law, not on political affiliations or beliefs.  I accept this award on their behalf.

Finally, and most importantly, I accept this award with great humility because the true recipients of the award are the victims of these horrific crimes, who have been subjected to wrongs the magnitude of which we cannot imagine.  Old and young, male and female –  killed, tortured, raped, mutilated, displaced, suffering individual harm and witnessing the horrors inflicted on family members, friends and communities – and forced to pick up their lives after experiencing such suffering.  Their strength and resilience are indeed humbling. I dedicate the award to them.

Thanks once again to all of you.  Keep up the critical work of enforcing universal norms of behavior, and speaking out and acting against those who violate those norms and inflict such suffering and chaos globally.

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For the American Branch’s third blogging symposium, various authors will address International Law Weekend’s 2025 theme of ‘Crisis as Catalyst in International Law’ from an International Humanitarian Law Perspective. Earlier this year, the American Branch put out a call for abstracts addressing this theme. The International Humanitarian Law Committee Chair Professor Gabor Rona, 2024 Student Ambassador Anne Harper, and ABILA COO Freya Doughty-Wagner selected the best abstracts and worked with the authors as editors. These complete pieces will be published daily, starting Tuesday, August 26th, and concluding on Friday, August 29th.

All published works are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the American Branch.

Symposium Overview:

TUESDAY: The Trump Administration’s War on the Laws of War by Gabor Rona

Gabor Rona is a Professor of Practice at Cardozo Law, Yeshiva University, and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law, with expertise in international human rights and international humanitarian law. Before his time at Cardozo, he was the International Legal Director of Human Rights First and a Legal Advisor in the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva.

Read here.

WEDNESDAY: A Binary in Crisis: Broadening the Functional Approach to the Law of Occupation by Oscar Pearce

Oscar Pearce is an incoming graduate lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Sydney. He studied at the Australian National University, where he specialized in Public International Law.

Read here.

THURSDAY: Accountability without Access: How Non-Military Actors Can Assess Conduct of Hostilities Violations by Ilya Ivanov

Ilya Ivanov is a PhD Candidate at the University of Geneva, where he researches the legal value of non-binding norms in international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Recently, he served as a Legal Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and has held positions with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Programme, and the Human Rights House Foundation.

Read here.

FRIDAY: Recalibrating the Proportionality Calculus to Include Mental Collateral Damage by Natasha Arnpriester

Natasha Arnpriester is Senior Legal Counsel at the Open Society Justice Initiative in New York, where she leads transnational litigation on human rights accountability, with a particular focus on communities affected by armed conflict, authoritarian regimes, and structural exclusion. Her litigation strategies center on developing niche and innovative arguments to address complex problems in both domestic and international legal forums, with impacted communities at the core.

Read here.

The post Introducing: Crisis as Catalyst – An International Humanitarian Law Perspective appeared first on ABILA.

INTERNATIONAL LAW WEEKEND 2025 

Call for Panel Proposals

Crisis as Catalyst in International Law

Deadline:  April 20, 2025 May 15, 2025

The American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) is pleased to invite panel proposals for International Law Weekend 2025 (ILW 2025)—the premier international law event of the fall season. ILW 2025 will take place October 23-25, 2025 in New York City.

The International Law Weekend 2025 Co-Chairs are William Aceves (California Western School of Law), Amity Boye (American Branch of the International Law Association), and Jess Peake (UCLA School of Law).

The ILW Organizing Committee (Committee) invites panel proposals to be submitted online by April 20, 2025 May 15, 2025 through this Google form.

The unifying theme for ILW 2025 is Crisis as Catalyst in International Law:

ILW 2025 will explore how crises can serve as transformative moments that challenge and reshape the framework of international law.  Whether political, environmental, economic, or humanitarian, crises compel local, regional, and global actors to confront the limitations of extant legal systems. By serving as catalysts for innovation, crises also provide opportunities to reevaluate and reconstruct international legal norms. This process highlights the dynamic nature of international law, which must balance its foundational principles with the need for flexibility in response to unprecedented events. ILW 2025 encourages participants to reimagine international law.

ILW 2025 will explore these issues through a diverse set of engaging and provocative panels, plenary sessions, and keynote addresses. The program will include a broad array of both public international law and private international law topics. The conference will also include networking opportunities, social events, and award ceremonies.

When submitting your proposal, please consider the following points:

• ILW 2025 will promote representation and dialogue among diverse voices. Per the ILA Guidelines for Diversity of Conference and Panel Speakers, all panels must contain gender parity. Further, the Committee will give preference to panels that include representation of historically underrepresented groups and promote dialogue across different professional perspectives, including scholars and practitioners.
• Panel proposals may concern any aspect of international law and practice including, but not limited to, the use of force, international economic law (including trade and investment), human rights, equality and social justice, international humanitarian law, international organizations, international environmental law, national security, cyber law, international criminal law, international intellectual property, the law of the sea and outer space, and legal theory. When submitting your proposal, please identify the primary area(s) of international law that your proposed panel will address.
• Please provide the names, titles, and affiliations of the moderator and speakers and indicate whether these speakers have confirmed their intent to participate if the proposal is chosen.
• Please keep in mind that while speakers may be proposed for multiple sessions, it is the Branch’s policy that individuals may only speak on one panel at ILW in order to ensure a diversity of voices.
• Please identify what format you are proposing for your panel. We encourage you to think beyond the traditional panel presentation or lecture.
• Please indicate whether you are an ABILA member and whether your panel is sponsored by an ABILA committee(s). Sponsorship requires the agreement of the committee chair. Preference will be given to panels submitted by one or more committees, and particularly to joint submissions. Committees may submit multiple proposals, but a maximum of one panel per committee will be selected.

All decisions regarding panel selection, including the composition and description of panels, are at the sole discretion of the ILW Organizing Committee. Once a panel is accepted, any change in panelists must be approved in advance by the ILW Organizing Committee.

For questions regarding ILW 2025, please contact: ilw@ila-americanbranch.org.

ILW 2025 Panel Proposal Form

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Regarding the United States and the International Rule of Law

February 25, 2025

Founded more than one hundred years ago, the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) is dedicated to the study, clarification and development of International Law and the advancement of peace, human rights, and justice worldwide. From time to time, ABILA Presidents have issued Statements on important matters of international concern that are related to our mandate.

Having consulted with the ABILA Board, I issue this Statement to express grave concern that over the past month, the Trump Administration has taken and threatened actions that will fundamentally alter the United States role in the international legal order and impair the international legal order itself.  In doing so, I join the leaders of counterpart organizations such as the American Society of International Law and the American Bar Association, who have issued similar Statements in recent days.

Among the Administration’s actions of greatest concern are:

– issuing direct threats to the sovereignty and integrity of several countries in violation of the U.N. Charter;

– advocating the forcible transfer and deportation of millions of people from their homeland in violation of the Geneva Conventions;

– threatening withdrawal of support from the NATO alliance in violation of the treaty of Washington;

– breaching rules protecting asylum seekers and refugees in violation of the Refugee Convention;

– suspending enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in contravention of the U.N. Convention Against Corruption;

– dismantling government institutions and dismissing government officials who are responsible for promoting the international rule of law and upholding the United States’ international legal obligations;

– imposing sanctions on officials of an international criminal court created to impartially prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes; and

– withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization, the U.N. Human Rights Council, and the Paris Climate Accord, and signaling the imminent withdrawal from more by launching a 180-day review of all international organizations and international conventions to which the United States is a party.

Out of the ashes of World War II, the United States took the lead in creating a world order that has successfully prevented another world war, promoted international peace and security, and achieved unprecedented advances in international development, health, public welfare, and human rights. Central to this success has been the development of international law and the international institutions that implement it. A retreat from this rules-based international legal order as represented by the actions listed above is inconsistent with the long-held principles of the United States, and threatens chaos, including to those economically advantaged countries like the United States that have most benefited from the system it so wisely promoted and helped to create.

While our organization is non-partisan in nature, we are committed to peace, justice and the rule of law — values that are threatened by the actions of the current administration. The Branch’s motto, emblazoned on our website, is: “We need international law and cooperation now more than ever.” That has never been truer than today.

Michael P. Scharf

President of the American Branch of the

International Law Association

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