At law school, I wanted to pursue international law. I studied International Relations in college, worked in foreign policy — anything with the word “global” in it, I was in. But what is international law? Some people say that it doesn’t exist. Others define it as a confusing mess of conventions, treaties and standards, with no real enforcement. 

I’d like to draw a different picture. International law sets the norms for global politics and helps facilitate socio-economic development across the world. Perhaps most importantly, international law regulates the conduct of war.

In the era of war tribunals in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Cambodia, BC Law was at the frontlines. BC Law had a large presence in the war crimes space, and many BC Law alums still work at the Hague and other international courts. 

Phillip Weiner ‘82, for example, who led a coffee chat this week with the International Law Society, worked as a prosecutor and judge at the tribunals in the former Yugoslavia and Cambodia. While reflecting on these past experiences, Weiner also discussed his current work as an advisor in Ukraine. To me, it seemed clear that international law deserves our attention, now more than ever. 

There isn’t one definition of an international lawyer. In fact, international law actually encompasses nearly every other legal area – labor law, criminal law, even environmental law. But the expansiveness of international law shouldn’t be its pitfall. International law does exist. And its conventions, treaties and standards are not arbitrary or meaningless. It serves the vital purpose that the law should always serve: holding people accountable and restoring humanity in times of peace and conflict.

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Sangeeta Kishore is a second-year student at BC Law and president of the Impact blog. Contact her at kishorsa@bc.edu.