Inside Geneva: Are we throwing away international law?

SWI swissinfo.ch

On Inside Geneva this week: what does international law mean to you?

Inside Geneva

Subscribe

Subscribe to

Close

• Apple PodcastsExternal link
• SpotifyExternal link
• Amazon MusicExternal link
• Podcast IndexExternal link
• OvercastExternal link
• YouTubeExternal link
• iHeartRadioExternal link
• PandoraExternal link
• Podcast AddictExternal link
• CastroExternal link
• CastboxExternal link
• PodchaserExternal link
• Pocket CastsExternal link
• DeezerExternal link
• Listen NotesExternal link
• Player FMExternal link
• GoodpodsExternal link
• True FansExternal link
• Buzzsprout RSS Feed External link Copy RSS Feed link Copied Failed to copy

“When your government is not there to uphold your rights, it’s that safety net – to think that there’s something else out there, other sets of rules that can help right wrongs and bring about some form of justice as well,” says Kasmira Jefford, editor at Geneva Solutions.

The Geneva conventions, bans on torture and landmines: global rules that should protect us. And international courts to ensure accountability.

“I think there’s a different expectation, a different hope for international law today. We now have many rules that are far more ambitious than they used to be,” says Nico Krisch, professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

But do they work?

“All the justices saying X about Gaza, about Netanyahu. All the decisions of the International Criminal Court. Show me the results. Show me when Putin comes to Alaska. Show me when Netanyahu comes to the White House. How many violations can there be before the treaty or the norm becomes invalid? I think we’re seeing a level of violation that is extraordinary,” says analyst Daniel Warner.

Do governments even want the laws to work?

“I think if somebody proposed today to create an International Criminal Court, they’d be laughed at. This isn’t the diplomatic climate for such ventures,” continues Krisch.

“The way certain leaders are acting today is not sustainable. They might get away with cherry-picking parts of treaties they like best for a while, but at some point there will be a reaction. It could be climate change, it could be massive natural disasters forcing us to work together,” adds Jefford.

“We have these laws because we made some awful mistakes and committed terrible crimes. What I really hope is that we don’t have to reinvent everything because we made the same mistakes again,” says host Imogen Foulkes.

Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.

Find out more about the ‘Inside Geneva’ podcast and our other Swiss podcasts in English here.

Subscribe below to the ‘Inside Geneva’ newsletter to make sure you never miss a new episode.