International law

The Institute´s Research Focus in international law encompasses the fundamental principles of public international law, its development, as well as the interactions with national legal systems and international politics. It addresses the relationship between multilateralism, plurilateralism, and bilateralism, particularly in view of the Institute's other research areas.

The Research Focus in international law is particularly concerned with the academic study as well as practice-oriented teaching of international law against the backdrop of current geopolitical challenges. Increasing tensions between global actors, changes in the international security architecture, and the fragmentation of the international legal order make an in-depth engagement with the foundations and mechanisms of international law more indispensable than ever. This is further amplified by the legal challenges posed by new technologies to international law.

A central emphasis of this Research Focus lies on the role of multilateralism, plurilateralism, and bilateralism in the international legal order. While multilateral agreements and institutions, such as the United Nations, remain key pillars of the global order, plurilateral and bilateral forms of cooperation are gaining importance – whether in the field of international trade policy, security partnerships, or regional integration. The Institute analyzes these dynamics and their impacts on the stability of international law and the enforcement of international norms.

Finally, the Institute is deeply engaged with the international legal implications of new technologies. These include digitalization, the use of artificial intelligence (AI), the regulation of cyberspace, and space utilization, all of which raise fundamental questions of international law that range from the protection of human rights to security issues.

The individual research topics include in particular:

• Fundamentals and development of international law
• Analysis of the sources, principles, and dynamics of modern international law
• International organizations and global governance – the roles and reform approaches of the UN System and its Specialized Agencies, including WHO, WIPO, ITU and others, as well as other institutions, including the WTO, IMF and World Bank, as well as other actors in the international legal system
• International law and new technologies
• Regulation of AI, cybersecurity, biotechnology, and digital infrastructure in international law
• Human rights and international humanitarian law – protection mechanisms, current challenges, and interactions with new technologies
• International environmental law, including legal questions of climate change
• Biodiversity law and sustainable resource use
• Health law and global pandemic response