November 2025 Issue
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The legal good (Rechtsgut) as legitimising criteria of the criminal law intervention | Raquel Cardoso writes
Introduction The use of criminal law, as the most coercive means available to the state (or other entities bearing ius puniendi) to shape individual behaviour, must be accompanied by one question: what is its purpose? What function should criminal law serve? In short, what legitimises the state’s restriction of the most fundamental rights of the…
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From Kosovo to Palestine: The Geopolitics of Selective Recognition
Recognition is one of the most decisive yet contentious acts in international law. It determines who participates in the international system as a legitimate sovereign state. In theory, the criteria for statehood are well-defined under the Montevideo Convention of 1933, which lists a permanent population, defined territory, effective government, and capacity to enter relations with…
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The Paradox of Modern Statehood: Why Law says Yes but Politics says No.
International law is often described as one of the most paradoxical concepts of law, where one state agrees while another state contradicts. Nations rarely reach a common consensus on fundamentals related to international law. Whether it constitutes as true law or when a political entity should be recognised as state. This disagreement is mostly derived…
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Generative AI vs. Ad Bots: India’s Legal Blind Spot
The digital advertising ecosystem today uses sophisticated data analytics and AI to target consumers far more precisely than traditional one-way media. Platforms like Google and social networks collect demographics and behavior to tailor ads and measure ROI. However, this precision comes at a cost – automated “bots” now generate about half of all internet traffic.…
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The Unequal Architecture of Recognition: A Critical Study of the Politics of Recognition in Sudan and Palestine amid Genocide
The notion of formal recognition within the international system is viewed as a formal acknowledgement for an entity to qualify as a state. Sudan and Palestine demonstrate contrasting dimensions of the recognition politics. Sudan is fully recognised as a sovereign state, and the state recognition remains largely unaffected despite extensive documentation of atrocities in the…
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Subjects of Law or Outlaws? The Legal Personality of Non-State Armed Groups
States are considered the primary legal entities and subjects of international law with the power and capacity to make treaties, however they can still make agreements with non-state entities, such as NSAGs, international organizations, individuals and people who acquire legal personalities and struggle for equal rights. The legal status of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in…