Current Problems of International Law
This advanced course in public international law is part of SPB 6 and 8 and will be taught in English.The final exam can be written in either English or German.
The course „Current Problems of International Law“ is an advanced course in public international law exploring fundamental questions of the international legal order such as sources, sovereignty, international personality, government and representation, human rights and immunities, self-determination and territorial integrity, extraterritorial jurisdiction, use of force and self-defence, human rights and armed conflict, terrorism and human rights, and responsibility for internationally wrongful acts. There will be ample opportunity for discussion of these and other questions and active classroom participation is encouraged. The above questions will be explored using current examples such as Palestinian statehood; the Libyan civil war; the Israeli blockade of Gaza; the killing of Usama Bin Laden by US special forces; reform of the United Nations and Germany’s arguments for a permanent seat on the Security Council; the US drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia; cyber warfare; and climate change and its effects on the Arctic Ocean.