Crises have always been part of international law discipline and some even say part of the identity of an international lawyer. History shows that international law has developed through reacting to previous experiences of crisis. International law reflects agreement on how to avoid known crisis from repeating. However, human society evolves and challenges existing rules, structures, and agrements. The evolution certainly confronts international law with questions as to the suitability of the existing for the new stages of development. Ulrich and Ziemele have brought together the selected speakers of the European Society of International Law annual conference which took place in Latvia and was organized by the Riga Graduate School of Law and the Society in 2016. The editors have characterized the international law and crisis discourse as dialectic and they have grouped the articles contained in the volume under four main themes—security, immunities, sustainable development, and philosophical perspectives—which show those areas of international law which are currently facing noticeable challenge and confrontation from various developments in society. The surprising general conclusion emerging in this collection is the confirmation that by and large international legal system contains concepts, principles, rules, mechanisms, and formats for addressing the various developments that may prima facia seem to challenge these very same elements of the system. Their use, however, involves informed policy decisions.
International Law as a Crisis Discourse
