In the penultimate episode of Season 2, host Douglas Guilfoyle brings together the full Called to the Bar team — Tamsin Paige, Ntina Tzouvala, Juliette McIntyre, and Imogen Saunders — for their end-of-year drinks and a candid debrief (and group therapy session) on a tumultuous year in international law.

From the explosion of advisory opinions, to debates over whether small states are pioneering new forms of legal statecraft or merely navigating the collapse of multilateral diplomacy, the panel wrestles with the big question: Was 2025 a turning point, and if so, toward what? Their answers range from despair to cautious optimism — with letter grades on international law's report card dipping well below an F.

The team reflects on the erosion of legal justification in state practice, the strain on international courts, the possibility that the UN era is ending, and whether emerging forms of regionalism or “minilateralism” offer any hope. They also revisit the standout podcast episodes they learned from this year, and share their summer reading and viewing plans.

Sound editing: Jamie Guilfoyle

Music: Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait