Rolf Gössner | Gleichheit vor dem Völkerrecht oder Recht des Stärkeren?

Lecture & Discussion

On Nihilism in International Law, Double Standards, and Shortcomings—but Also Opportunities—in the International Legal System

In his lecture, Rolf Gössner will discuss, among other things, the origins, development, work, and significance of the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as outline the complex system of international law. In particular, he will highlight the double standards and shortcomings in the practice of international law over the past decades.

He will also address the current role of the ICC in light of the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. He will also address international and German government complicity in such serious violations of international law, as well as the often baffling political reactions to such crimes and to ICC decisions.

Finally, the discussion will focus on the geostrategic and power-political challenges facing the international legal system and the conditions under which it could be structured to be more egalitarian, efficient, and less susceptible to instrumentalization.

Dr. Rolf Gössner is a lawyer and journalist, a member of the board of trustees of the International League for Human Rights (Berlin), co-editor of the “Grundrechte-Report. On the State of Civil and Human Rights in Germany” (Fischer-TB), and author of numerous books on democracy, internal security, and human rights. He worked as an attorney for four decades and served as an associate judge at the State Constitutional Court of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. He has received multiple awards, most recently the Hans Litten Prize from the Association of Democratic Lawyers (VDJ).

An event organized by the Fritz Bauer Forum in cooperation with the Bochum Peace Assembly and theDGB Bochum