In a guest article for Dutch liberal daily NRC, I show that international law has an impact even in times of crises and conflicts.
Arrest warrants that are not enforced; decisions by the International Court of Justice that are ignored. In NRC, I argue that international law is more powerful than it often appears.
Over the last 125 years, the net of international agreements has become ever more tight. Especially agreements for the technical cooperation between states, such as on trade and air traffic, have become an essential element of international relations.
Compliance with treaties on human rights and armed conflict is generally lower. Paradoxically, however, violations and shortcomings have led to significant progress in these fields. The Second World War led to the Geneva Conventions, the Cuba Crisis to arms control treaties, the wars in the Balkans and in Rwanda to the evolution of international criminal law.
‘Even in times of crises and conflicts, when international law appears weak, new steps are set’, I write in NRC. ‘A development nobody can evade.’
Read the full article in NRC.