During the week of 8–12 December, Professor Linos Alexandros Sicilianos was a guest lecturer in the LL.M. Programme in International Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne. He delivered a series of lectures under the general title “The Unity of International Law – Illustrations in Jurisprudence.”

At a time of profound international realignments, when international law itself is increasingly under strain, international courts—and in particular, the International Court of Justice—continue to resist these pressures, reaffirming the unity of the international legal order. For the first time in history, the major crises of our era are being subjected to judicial scrutiny, including the climate crisis and the conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, Sudan, and Syria. Dozens of States are taking part in these proceedings, thus expressing their support for international judicial institutions. These developments have created a complex landscape shaped by powerful centripetal and centrifugal forces alike. What, then, does the future hold for international law?