Practicing international law has never been easy. The amount of expertise one needs to acquire is immense while the responsibility is always huge. International law has come a long way before it became possible for so many people around the world to practice it. What is more, one should not forget how long it took for it to be established as a rule of law within the international society. Even though the world has changed for the better since then, there are still lots of challenges for international law these days. Here are some of these challenges.
Numerous human rights violations
While we have managed to achieve so far in the last few decades, human rights violations are still a thing in so many parts of the world. People are denied their basic rights and freedoms, especially in those countries where the rule of law does not mean a thing. For this reason, it is the job of everyone working in the field of international law to stand up for those who are unable to express their voice at the moment. We need to make sure that legal systems in our societies reflect upon the values that truly matter, such as freedom of speech, freedom of expression, as well as the basic human right to exist in a society where they are respected.
Inspiring trust in the international legal system
When one witnesses so many injustices on a daily basis, it is quite easy to lose hope, especially when there is no one to defend those people who need protection the most. For this reason, it is so vital to give people this hope even when they don’t expect anything from the international legal system. One of the best ways to make people believe in something is to show them that it’s possible. In terms of international law, resorting to justice and winning at least a few of those cases where people’s human rights have been violated for a long time will help bring people back to the orbit of international law and help highlight the necessity to have an impartial legal system. Everyone wants to feel that they will be protected in case something unexpected happens. The job of any lawyer is to provide their clients with this protection.
Another significant aspect to mention in this respect is the legitimacy of the international legal system. In other words, there are still some countries in the world that don’t share the views and notion of the international law community. Thus, it is vital to demonstrate why joining this community, as well as becoming a member of international institutions is so important. Surely, complying with the rules of international law is voluntary. However, citizens of those countries that actually comply feel safer and more protected. International law works, and people need to see that cases are not dragged on. They are solved and those involved get to benefit from an impartial judicial system.
Legal scholarship and practice of international law
These days, it has become necessary to bring together international legal scholarship, as well as practice of international law in order to create a kind of unity, share expertise and have a vision for the future. Apart from that, there seems to be a slight difference between how international law is studied and how it is practiced. For this reason, it is significant to unite forces to make sure that those who are interested in pursuing international law get enough knowledge, as well as a variety of opportunities to actually practice it.
The difference between how some concepts are defined by scholars and how they are treated by lawyers is another aspect worth mentioning. Thus, it is significant to make sure that both scholars of international law and lawyers who practice it go hand in hand in regards to definition and terminology. It takes lives easier for everyone involved. Scholars need to understand that the issues and topics they cover in their papers should not only be understood, but also easily applied practically by lawyers. The problem is that quite a few international scholars write for other scholars while lawyers are left unable to do what they are trained to do best as there is a misunderstanding between the two. In other words, it is vital to make sure that everyone involved gets to contribute in order for international law to function properly.
