Wolfgang Kaleck: Die Stärke des Rechts vs. Das Recht des Stärkeren

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the escalation of the Middle East conflict following October 7, and the war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran—these are just a few, albeit decisive, developments of recent years that demonstrate how the “old” international order is eroding and how international law and human rights are increasingly being disregarded. In this much-discussed turning point in history, the fundamental question arises as to whether international law is strong enough to withstand this storm, or whether in the future the law of the jungle will simply prevail.

Wolfgang Kaleck, one of the world’s most renowned human rights lawyers, argues in this polemic that international law and human rights must not be up for negotiation, precisely because, at their core and despite all their ambivalences, upheavals and setbacks, represent immense progress on the path to a more just world. He not only reminds us that the dream of “perpetual peace” was born out of the trauma of war, but also shows how necessary it is, especially now, to hold fast to this “utopian project,” which reforms of international law and its institutions could strengthen it, and how and with whom we should fight for it together.

Welcome: Layla Al-Zubaidi, Head of International Policy Units, Heinrich Böll Foundation