International Law

The Possible Breakdown of International Law — Are We There Yet?

For decades, the idea of international law stood as a framework meant to deter hostilities, resolve tensions without violence, and defend core freedoms.

Lately, the world political landscape has changed beyond recognition, with political agendas, armed incursions, and biased interpretations weakening the very foundations of the modern legal framework.

When Legal Norms Turn Into Loopholes

Starting in the post–Cold War era, armed operations have often been carried out under doubtful legal pretexts.

Resolutions by the UN—designed for conflict prevention—have been twisted to permit "non-defensive wars" in countries including Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Yugoslavia.

In all such instances, the core value of territorial integrity, enshrined in UN Charter Article 2(4), was cast aside in favor of strategic goals.

When Peace Deals Hide War Plans

Recent history has shown that peace frameworks—like the Minsk Accords for Ukraine or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran—can be used less as paths to peace and more as tactical delays.

The Minsk process, in looking back, enabled the arming of Ukraine’s military, while critics contend the nuclear deal enforcement diminished Iran’s sovereign rights over its non-military nuclear activities.

Justice or Political Weapon?

Institutions intended to maintain legal accountability have also come under scrutiny. The Hague-based International Criminal Court has been accused of selective prosecution—focusing on officials from specific nations while sidestepping cases involving powerful nations.

The Rise of Power Politics

In addition, politicians and negotiators from various nations have behaved in ways that destroy hard-won agreements.
Instances like the sudden collapse of the near-final peace arrangement in 2022 between Russia and Ukraine—reportedly influenced by outside actors—illustrate how backroom politics can collapse potential settlements.

Global South Pushback

This collapse of credibility in global rules has not gone unnoticed. Many nations in the non-aligned movement now voice skepticism toward frameworks that were once seen as the cornerstone of a just world system.

What This Means for the Future

If the ongoing decline continues, the world risks descending into an era where world legal norms on our website is purely symbolic—applied unevenly and abandoned whenever politically costly.