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We are pleased to invite you to the launch of States Undermining International Law: The League of Nations, United Nations, and Failed Utopianism (Palgrave, 2021).
Author Deepak Mawar, Visiting Lecturer at King’s College London, will be joined by Professor Philip Allott (University of Cambridge) and Professor Sergio Dellavalle (University of Turin) to discuss the influence of utopianism on the international legal system and debate whether the primacy of the state in international law can prove problematic.
The event will be chaired by Professor Philippa Webb (King's College London).
About the book
This book analyses the history of international law to reveal the significant role utopianism has played in developing the international legal system. In fact, when pinpointing the legal system’s most accelerated phases of development, it becomes increasingly apparent how integral utopianism has been in dealing with the international community’s most troubled periods such as the World Wars. However, States have on numerous occasions undermined utopianism, leading to situations where individuals and communities have been vulnerable to modes of oppression such as war or repressive regimes. Thus, by examining the League of Nations and United Nations, this book seeks to show why utopianism continues to be a vital ingredient when the international community is seeking to ensure its loftiest and most ambitious goals such as maintaining international peace and security, and why for the sake of such utopian aspirations, the primary position States enjoy in international law requires reassessment.
About the author
Deepak Mawar is a Visiting Lecturer at King’s College London, UK, specializing in the fields of international legal history, legal & political theory and global governance.
Event speakers
- Professor Philip Allott (University of Cambridge)
- Professor Sergio Dellavalle (University of Turin and the Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg)
- Professor Philippa Webb (King's College London) - event chair