Rethinking International Law and Justice

Debates about the values which international actors should follow focus on the rule of law, human rights, democracy and sustainability. Although these governance values were largely formulated in the west and adopted in international instruments, similar values are found in most, possibly all, cultures. While these other values are not hostile to the familiar western formulations, neither is their sense fully captured by those formulations. In debates about security, health, finance and global warming, some feel that there is something missing.

A common complaint is that the framing of those debates and the solutions proposed are not in accord with 'justice' - a broader term that may be seen to encompass the rule of law, human rights, democracy and sustainability but is certainly not exhausted by it. For example, there are concerns that those countries which were the principal causes of global warming are not bearing a commensurate burden in dealing with it. This raises an important concern. Rawls argued that 'justice is the first virtue of institutions' - a point of view that is equally valid for international as national institutions.

Raising the issue of justice hardly resolves the matter: in western philosophy there are several forms of justice (Formal, Procedural, Substantive, Retributive, Restorative) and many theories offering different answers as to what justice requires. Even where formal justice is available, issues of Access to Justice loom large. Going beyond the west to the many long standing Asian, African, American and Indigenous cultures, there are a host of valuable perspectives on the ways that human beings relate to each other in communities in interaction with nature.

Participants

The Conference will be of interest to academics and practitioners interested in international law, environmental law, human rights, ethics, international relations, political theory and other relevant social sciences.

Language

The official languages of the Conference are Turkish and English. Papers can be submitted and presented in either Turkish or English. Simultaneous translation from Turkish to English and English to Turkish will be provided.

Themes

The Committee welcomes papers exploring issues of justice arising in specific areas of international law, as well as underlying theories of justice deriving from political science, international relations and international law.

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