PhD course: The legitimacy of international law in a time of uncertainty

In only a few years, the rules of the game seem to have changed in international relations. International armed conflicts are proliferating, long-lasting tensions develop into active hostilities, international alliances are shifting, trade wars undermine global economic relationships, nationalism and populism replace internationalism and responsibility, more and more states demonstrate blatant disregard for international law, and the rule of power seems to replace the rule of law. One veto power in the UN Security Council is the aggressor in an interstate war against its neighbor. Another veto power demonstrates a willingness to not only reduce its support of the UN, but to sabotage UN efforts to promote international peace, security, and respect for human rights. Other wars seem to go unnoticed or at least unaddressed by international institutions. The list goes on and on. Compared to the relative international stability a decade ago, nobody can now predict international developments over the next years. And yet, the language of international law is spoken everywhere, e.g. in Parliament, in the chancelleries, in the news, on social media. Never has international law attracted so much attention and been debated so extensively by so many different types of actors. The presence of international law in all sorts of discourses is instrumental in an experience of inconclusiveness as to where international law stands today.

In this time of uncertainty and cacophony, questions arise concerning the role and the legitimacy of international law. What role is left for international law if it is ignored in practice, if institutions are obstructed, and if there is no accountability for blatant violations of international law? How does it affect the legitimacy of international law if powerful states disregard it at will and only comply if it furthers their national interests? International law is intended to define the legal responsibilities of states and other actors in their relations with each other, but are we now witnessing a shift away from this ideal towards a reality where states use international law as a tool to achieve dominance?

This course will explore the legitimacy of international law in such a time of uncertainty: uncertainty about how international relations are developing, uncertainty about the continued role of international law, and uncertainty about whether and how international law will regulate the conduct of states when we no longer can be certain of fundamental aspects of state behavior. In this new context, we will explore the criteria for the legitimacy of international law and discuss their relevance in the contemporary world order; we will inquire how contemporary perceptions of the legitimacy of international law affect the conduct of states and vice versa; and we will discuss the relationship between the legitimacy and the effectiveness of international law.

As a framework for discussing these overarching issues, the course will provide an overview of the main concepts and theories of legitimacy in international law, international relations, and moral and political philosophy, and of how they relate to each other. It will also address some of the theoretical and methodological challenges involved in assessing the legitimacy of international law in a changing world. Some of the issues that will be addressed include:

• What are the traditional criteria for assessing the legitimacy of international law, and what can these criteria tell us about the legitimacy of international law in a time of international uncertainty?

• Which contemporary challenges exist to the legitimacy of international law, and how can these challenges be addressed?

• How do contemporary perceptions of the legitimacy of international law affect its effectiveness?

As legitimacy is discussed across several academic disciplines, this course adopts a multidisciplinary approach, focusing primarily on law, philosophy, and political science. These different disciplines operate with different concepts of legitimacy and hence study different, though related and sometimes overlapping issues. Thus, philosophy mainly addresses normative legitimacy, which often relates to substantive notions of justice; political science focuses on sociological legitimacy, what factors affect publics’ and elites’ perceptions of international institutions, and the consequences of these perceptions, and legal scholarship focuses on the structure of, as well as the law governing and produced by, institutions, including whether they comport with notions of the rule of law. Even within each discipline, we encounter competing concepts (and conceptions) of legitimacy.

The course will be based on active participation and dialogue between the teachers and the course participants.

Tentative course program (subject to changes)

Note that the above program is only tentative and that changes may occur.

On a general level, the course will run for four full days (from Tuesday 2 June in the morning until Friday 5 June in the afternoon) with four daily sessions. Approximately the first half of the course will address general theories of legitimacy, while the second half will address the specific issues relating to legitimacy in a time of uncertainty.

The course is coordinated by Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen (professor of law) and Jakob Elster (professor in philosophy) from the University of Oslo.

The lecturers include:

• Carmen Pavel (King’s College London)

• Jakob Elster (University of Oslo)

• Jean d’Aspremont (Sciences Po)

• Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen (University of Oslo)

• Steven Ratner (University of Michigan)

• Tarald Gulseth Berge (University of South-Eastern Norway)

• Theresa Squatrito (London School of Economics and Political Science)

Practical information

Attendance at the course is tuition-free, but students will need to cover their own travel and accommodation. Basic lunches and refreshments will be provided for.

We will also organize one social evening for the students and teachers to get to know each other in an informal context.

Application deadline 13 February 2026.

The course will be attended by PhD students in law, philosophy, political science, and other relevant disciplines. A maximum of 20 students will be accepted to the course.

In the application form, the applicants need to submit a CV and a short letter of motivation. This letter should include the applicant’s motivation for taking the course, the topic of the applicant’s thesis, how far advanced the applicant is in the work on the thesis, as well as the name of the applicant’s supervisor(s).

To apply, please submit this application form.

The process and important dates

13 February 2026: Application deadline

1 March 2026: Applicants receive notice of the outcome; accepted applicants receive a list of course literature (core readings)

15 May 2026: Submission deadline for paper to be presented in group session (details will be provided)

2–5 June 2026: The course is held in Paris, France (attendance in person only, no digital option)

1 August 2026: Deadline for the first draft of the obligatory course essay

1 October 2025: Deadline for the second and final draft

Obligatory activities and credits

Students are expected to actively participate in discussion during the course and to have read the assigned literature in advance.

Students are also expected to give a presentation during the course on a topic related to their PhD project.

To complete the course, students must submit a final essay of between 7,000–9,000 words that is anchored in the course literature. The participants will first submit a first draft to receive comments, and then submit a revised final version.

If the aforementioned requirements are fulfilled, we recommend that the course gives 5 ECTS credits. However, this must be approved by each candidate’s PhD programme.

Learning outcomes

The students will acquire:

• Knowledge of the differences between the various concepts of legitimacy used in law, philosophy, and political science, and of the relationships between these concepts

• Knowledge of different theories of the legitimacy of international law and their contemporary relevance

• Knowledge of how these theories can inform our understanding of international law and its effectiveness

• An understanding of the challenges and possibilities arising from the multidisciplinary study of legitimacy

• An ability to critically assess and discuss the legitimacy of international law

• An ability to critically assess and discuss different theories of international legitimacy.

Venue and accommodation

The course will be hosted at the Norwegian University Centre in Paris, which is located in the 6th arrondissement in central Paris. The address is 54 Boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris. There are many hotels in all price ranges within a walking distance, and participants will be asked to make their own hotel arrangements.

Contact information

If you have any questions about the course, please contact Irina Sigurdson at irina.sigurdson@jus.uio.no.

About IntNatLaw

Since 2021, the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo has pursued a research initiative on the interface between international and national law. The initiative explores how international law is currently being implemented and how implementation can be improved in national legislation, administration, and case law. As part of this initiative, the Faculty’s Research Group on International Law has received funding from the Research Council of Norway to develop an academic network addressing the Impact of International Law on National Law (IntNatLaw). IntNatLaw’s project period is 2023–2027.

IntNatLaw’s activities are coordinated by professor of law Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen.

This PhD course is the third in a series started by PluriCourts – Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order. PluriCourts was a Centre of Excellence at the Department of Public and International Law, The Faculty of Law, the University of Oslo, which operated from 2013 to 2023. The previous courses were organized in 2022 and 2023.