An Illusion of International Law
Law Without Power, Power Without Law, and the Iranian Lesson
From the essay
I began thinking about international law from a question that sounds almost too crude for polite discussion: when was the last time international law actually worked as law? Not as a speech. Not as a resolution. In ordinary life, law has a physical shadow. Behind the printed rule stands the policeman. International law has the morality. It has the language. It has the documents. But the policeman is often missing. That absence is the beginning of the illusion. This does not mean international law is worthless. It can preserve memory. It can record crimes. It can help victims be believed.