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The logic of international law

Globalization and Law Network (Glaw-Net) & International Law Discussion Group (ILDG) present
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ONLINE CONFERENCE

Most work in legal logic is generalist or takes domestic law as the standard case. International law as a field has some distinctive features, however. Lacking a formal and centralised structure, international law is the result of the direct action of its addressees: States, international organisations, non-governmental entities, transnational companies, and even individuals. Furthermore, while in domestic law the rules are organised hierarchically, in international law such vertical order is still scarce. Finally, international law undergoes continuous expansion — the proliferation of special regimes can lead to complex challenges to international cooperation, obscuring which applicable rules are determinative in case of a conflict.

In this manner, insights from domestic law may not always be automatically applied to international law. Sometimes, a 'translation' is necessary. In other cases, the distinctive features pertaining to international law demand the development of specific logical tools to deal with its singular matters. In that connection, it is relevant to point out that there is no single logic in the world but many workable logics. Defining which logic is the best for each case depends on the purpose for which that logic is to be used, among other reasons. As such, international law may provide fruitful ground for legal logicians to develop, expand, and test their theories. At the same time, some of the perspectives presented by legal logic may offer valuable tools to international legal scholars for analysing and conceptualising international law. Investigating the relationship between legal logic and the field of international law appears to be a worthwhile endeavour.

With this in mind, the Globalization and Law Network (Glaw-Net) and the International Law Discussion Group (ILDG) are organising a two-day online conference (14 and 15 Nov 2022) focused on the logic of international law. The presentations range from the philosophical analysis of the logic of international to more practical applications of logical tools to fields of international law like human rights, humanitarian law, and State responsibility.

Programme 14 November 2022

11 AM

Rules determining applicability of international law Lorand Bartels (Cambridge University)

12 PM

 Rational reconstruction in international legal reasoning Ulf Linderfalk (Lund University)
12.45 PM         Lunch break
2 PM Paradoxes of customary international law and the role of logic Valentin Jeutner (Lund University) & Federica Paddeu (Cambridge University)
3 PM Is there a logical line between the procedural and substantive rules of international law? Jure Vidmar (Maastricht University)
3.45 PM Coffee break
4.15 PM What makes a ‘virtuous’ argument in international law? A Logocratic Account Gabriel Lentner (Danube University Krems)
5.15 PM The life of international law is not logic but experience David Lefkowitz (University of Richmond)

Programme 15 November 2022

12 PM           Not seeing the forest for all the trees: fragmentation, pluralism, multiplicity and systems Antonia Waltermann (Maastricht University)
12:45 PM              Lunch break
2 PM Consistency in international law Torben Spaak (Stockholm University)
3 PM The logic of human rights Jaap Hage (Maastricht University)
3.45 PM Coffee break
4:15 PM A logical account of the interaction between humanitarian and human rights law Henrique Marcos (Maastricht & São Paulo Universities)
5:15 PM The logic of principal and accessory responsibility for international crimes Craig Eggett (Maastricht University)

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