Democratizing the Colonial Space of International Law

Discussion with Rachel López on the colonial development of international law and its continuing hierarchical structure. We also discuss the duty to refrain from assisting states in committing grave crimes and its interrelation with the responsibility to protect people from grave crimes under international law. Additionally, we discuss the concept of “gravity” as the counterweight to sovereignty, its development under international law and its ability to be manipulated with its continued malleable counters. We also discuss the problems of humanitarian intervention, both in terms of its selective enforcement, its ability to be used for the opportunistic aims of great powers and its unintended consequences. Finally, we discuss how to democratize the current hierarchical structure of international law and how international law can both support and be supported by grassroots social justice movements.

For More Info: http://thegravity.fm/#/episode/38