Abstract
International law increasingly addresses issues traditionally considered domestic affairs. This development is further accentuated by the role of international courts and tribunals (ICs) in specifying the content of international obligations. How do and should ICs address the increasing intrusion in domestic affairs, and, more specifically, to what extent and how should they defer to domestic decision-making? Would deference by ICs threaten the international rule of law, or are there ways to accommodate the effectiveness of international obligations and protect domestic autonomy? If so, what should guide the deference?
Bio
Geir Ulfstein is a Professor emeritus of International Law at the University of Oslo. He was the Co-Director of PluriCourts - Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order from 2013 to 2023. He has published in different areas of international law, including the law of the sea, international environmental law, international human rights law, international institutional law, and international courts.
Ulfstein has previously served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, Max Plack Institute for Procedural Law, Luxembourg (2016-2023), Co-chair of the International Law Association's Study Group on the 'Content and Evolution of the Rules of Interpretation' (2015-2020), Director of the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (2004-2008), and member of the Executive Board of the European Society of International Law (2010-2016).