[Interview] Ernst Hirsch Ballin: ‘The ability to see ‘us in them’ is decisive for the whole issue of migration’

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href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/disarmament-and-non-proliferation-training-in-times-of-renewed-nuclear-unpredictability/">Disarmament and non-proliferation training in times of renewed nuclear unpredictability</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/recording-asser-live-webinar-counter-terrorism-the-law-a-forever-and-anywhere-war/">[Recording] Asser live webinar ‘Counter-terrorism & the law: A forever and anywhere war’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-s-counter-terrorism-brief-on-a-forever-and-anywhere-war/">Asser’s Counter-Terrorism Brief on: A ‘Forever and Anywhere War’?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-disarmament-and-non-proliferation-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction-training-programme/">[SIGN UP NOW] Disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction training programme</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-for-our-upcoming-training-courses/">Sign up now for our upcoming training courses</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-summer-law-programme-on-international-criminal-law-international-legal-comparative-approaches-to-counter-terrorism/">[SIGN UP NOW] Summer law programme on international criminal law & international legal & comparative approaches to counter-terrorism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/how-to-respond-to-sexual-terrorism/">How to respond to ‘sexual terrorism’?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/deadline-extended-for-applications-research-positions-in-ethics-and-law-of-military-ai/">Deadline extended for applications research positions in ethics and law of military AI</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-the-counter-productiveness-of-deprivation-of-nationality-as-a-national-security-measure/">Blog post: ‘The counter-productiveness of deprivation of nationality as a national security measure’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/event-nationality-deprivation-in-the-era-of-rohingya-genocide-and-isis-fighters/">[EVENT] Nationality deprivation in the era of Rohingya genocide and ISIS fighters</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-online-advanced-summer-programme-on-terrorism-countering-terrorism-and-the-rule-of-law/">[SIGN UP NOW] Online advanced summer programme on terrorism, countering terrorism and the rule of law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/save-the-date-10th-advanced-summer-programme-on-terrorism-countering-terrorism-and-the-rule-of-law/">SAVE THE DATE: 10th Advanced summer programme on terrorism, countering terrorism and the rule of law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/training-on-prosecution-and-adjudication-of-international-and-transnational-crimes-in-tanzania/">Training on prosecution and adjudication of international and transnational crimes in Tanzania</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publications-asser-researcher-chukwuma-okoli-publishes-on-private-international-law-in-nigeria/">[New publications] Asser researcher Chukwuma Okoli publishes on private international law in Nigeria</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-law-for-public-interest/">International law for public interest</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/what-is-an-inclusive-city-asser-academic-director-janne-nijman-spoke-on-amsterdam-seminar/">What is an inclusive city? Asser academic director Janne Nijman spoke on Amsterdam seminar</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/pax-moot-court-competition-brings-international-law-students-to-the-hague/">Pax moot court competition brings international law students to The Hague</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-prof-richard-english-does-terrorism-work/">Blog: Prof. Richard English - Does terrorism work?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-global-europe-project-launched/">New ‘Global Europe’ project launched</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-lethal-autonomous-weapons-war-crimes-and-the-convention-on-conventional-weapons/">Blog: Lethal autonomous weapons, war crimes, and the Convention on Conventional Weapons</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-nominations-for-the-max-van-der-stoel-human-rights-award/">Call for nominations for the Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/backstage-of-transnational-law/">Backstage of transnational law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/continuing-the-chinese-european-dialogue-on-world-order/">Continuing the Chinese-European dialogue on world order</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/register-now-a-special-event-with-philippe-couvreur-on-the-role-of-registrar-of-the-international-court-of-justice/">Register now: A special event with Philippe Couvreur on the role of Registrar of the International Court of Justice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/nine-scholarships-available-for-the-disarmament-and-non-proliferation-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction-training-programme/">Nine scholarships available for the disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction training programme</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-president-hirsch-ballin-presents-a-report-on-human-rights-and-sustainable-development/">Asser president Hirsch Ballin presents a report on human rights and sustainable development</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/fifa-and-human-rights-symposium-kicked-off-on-verfassungsblog/">‘FIFA and Human Rights’ symposium kicked off on Verfassungsblog</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/will-a-dutch-man-who-fought-in-syria-be-stripped-of-his-citizenship/">Will a Dutch man who fought in Syria be stripped of his citizenship?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-report-2018/">Annual report 2018</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-law-and-governance-of-a-global-city-17th-century-amsterdam/">[Call for Papers] Law and governance of a global city: 17th-century Amsterdam</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/what-sports-law-tells-you-about-transnational-law/">What sports law tells you about transnational law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-outsourcing-the-management-of-terrorism-suspects-to-other-countries/">Blog post: Outsourcing the management of terrorism suspects to other countries</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-contributions-city-reports-on-international-law/">Call for Contributions: City reports on International Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-dynamic-between-terrorism-and-counter-terrorism-and-the-quest-for-legitimacy-in-the-eyes-of-the-public/">The dynamic between terrorism and counter-terrorism and the quest for legitimacy in the eyes of the public</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-city-branding-and-human-rights-a-win-win-combination/">Blog post: City-branding and human rights: a win-win combination?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/in-quest-of-liberty-justice-and-peace-a-new-biography-on-asser-s-private-and-public-life/">In quest of liberty, justice, and peace: a new biography on Asser’s private and public life</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-changing-nature-of-courtroom-evidence/">The changing nature of courtroom evidence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/prosecuting-international-and-transnational-crimes-requires-domestic-capacity-asser-trains-magistrates-from-french-speaking-african-countries/">Prosecuting international and transnational crimes requires domestic capacity: Asser trains magistrates from french-speaking African countries</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/dr-oliver-meier-to-address-the-impact-of-us-russian-relations-on-arms-control-at-the-wmd-training-programme/">Dr Oliver Meier to address the impact of US - Russian relations on arms control at the WMD training programme</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/register-for-the-third-islj-international-sports-law-conference/">Register for the third ISLJ International Sports Law Conference</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/honoring-the-life-and-work-of-nobel-peace-prize-winner-tobias-asser/">Honoring the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize winner Tobias Asser</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/save-the-date-rule-of-law-challenges-and-prospects-in-albania-and-north-macedonia/">SAVE THE DATE: ‘Rule of law challenges and prospects in Albania and North Macedonia’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-renovated-asser-institute-building-officially-open/">The renovated Asser Institute building officially open</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/launching-the-global-europe-project-the-transparency-of-the-global-dimension-of-eu-law/">Launching the Global Europe project: The transparency of the global dimension of EU law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-day-of-democracy-the-impact-of-memory-laws-on-democracy/">#International Day of Democracy: The impact of memory laws on democracy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/save-the-date-2020-winter-academy-on-artificial-intelligence-international-law/">SAVE THE DATE: 2020 Winter Academy on Artificial Intelligence & International law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/isljconf19-transfer-systems-in-international-sports/">#ISLJConf19: Transfer systems in international sports</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-cases-added-to-the-international-crimes-database/">New cases added to the International Crimes Database</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/eu-trade-agreements-and-the-duty-to-respect-human-rights-abroad/">EU trade agreements and the duty to respect human rights abroad</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/an-interview-with-human-rights-defender-dilip-chakma-in-india-chakma-s-are-a-minority-in-all-aspects/">An interview with human rights defender Dilip Chakma: “In India Chakma’s are a minority in all aspects”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-on-the-illegality-of-the-turkish-offensive-in-syria/">Blog post: On the illegality of the Turkish offensive in Syria</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/imagining-justice-bringing-together-lawyers-and-artists/">Imagining Justice: bringing together lawyers and artists</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-a-nobel-peace-prize-for-africa-but-what-about-the-other-half-of-the-story/">Blog post: A Nobel Peace Prize for Africa, but what about the other half of the story?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-for-our-one-week-course-on-eu-external-policies-and-asylum/">Sign up now for our one week course on EU external policies and asylum</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/ongoing-call-for-contributions-city-reports-on-international-law/">Ongoing call for contributions: City reports on international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-humanitarian-law-an-often-forgotten-field-of-law-in-the-fight-against-terrorism/">International humanitarian law: an often forgotten field of law in the fight against terrorism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/why-doping-in-sport-cant-be-stopped/">Why doping in sport can't be stopped</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-programme-for-the-winter-academy-on-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law-is-out/">The programme for the winter academy on artificial intelligence and international law is out</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-deprivation-of-nationality-of-dutch-is-fighters-is-counter-productive/">Blog: ‘Deprivation of nationality of Dutch IS fighters is counter-productive’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/cleer-winter-academy-eu-external-relations-and-instruments/">CLEER Winter Academy: EU external relations and instruments</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-citizenship-deprivation-will-strengthen-is-jihadist-ideology/">Blog: Citizenship deprivation will strengthen IS jihadist ideology</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/renowned-legal-scholar-prof-anne-orford-will-deliver-the-fifth-annual-tmc-asser-lecture/">Renowned legal scholar Prof. Anne Orford will deliver the Fifth Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/minister-sigrid-kaag-to-give-a-short-speech-at-the-fifth-annual-asser-lecture-2019/">Minister Sigrid Kaag to give a short speech at the Fifth Annual Asser Lecture 2019</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/season-8-of-asser-s-educational-programme-for-lebanese-students-begins-today/">Season 8 of Asser’s educational programme for Lebanese students begins today</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researchers-contribute-to-a-study-on-radical-and-hate-speakers-in-europe/">Asser researchers contribute to a study on radical and hate speakers in Europe</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/speaker-anne-orford-international-treaties-can-and-must-be-more-social/">Speaker Anne Orford: “International treaties can and must be more social”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-wins-nwo-grant-to-research-ai-in-the-military-context/">Asser researcher wins NWO grant to research AI in the military context</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/watch-the-full-annual-asser-lecture-by-prof-anne-orford/">Watch the full annual Asser lecture by Prof. Anne Orford</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/tv-interview-asser-researcher-speaks-about-frances-role-in-sahel-and-counter-terrorism-policies/">[TV Interview] Asser researcher speaks about France's role in Sahel and counter-terrorism policies</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/local-high-school-students-snap-photos-of-the-hague-for-human-rights-day/">Local high school students snap photos of The Hague for Human Rights Day</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-appointed-as-member-of-the-permanent-commission-on-human-rights-of-the-dutch-advisory-council-on-international-affairs/">Asser researcher appointed as member of the permanent commission on Human Rights of the Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-role-of-cities-in-international-law-researchers-meet-in-berlin/">The role of cities in international law: researchers meet in Berlin</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-aung-san-suu-kyi-to-defend-myanmar-before-the-icj-in-gambia-s-rohingya-genocide-case/">[Interview] Aung San Suu Kyi to defend Myanmar before the ICJ in Gambia’s Rohingya genocide case</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/student-scholarships-available-for-the-doing-business-right-winter-academy/">Student scholarships available for the Doing Business Right winter academy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-we-need-a-private-international-law-system-that-responds-to-the-interests-of-africa/">Blog: ‘We need a private international law system that responds to the interests of Africa’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-year-s-resolutions-our-winter-academies-will-help-you-stay-ahead-in-2020/">New Year’s resolutions? Our winter academies will help you stay ahead in 2020</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-urban-politics-of-human-rights/">Call for papers: Urban politics of human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/global-justice-cinema-where-film-meets-international-justice/">Global Justice Cinema: where film meets international justice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-asser-researcher-berenice-boutin-now-is-the-moment-to-govern-and-regulate-artificial-intelligence/">[Interview] Asser researcher Berenice Boutin: “Now is the moment to govern and regulate Artificial Intelligence”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/start-your-year-with-high-quality-trainings-in-the-fields-of-ai-and-international-law-and-business-and-human-rights/">Start your year with high quality trainings in the fields of AI and international law and business and human rights.</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/event-the-autonomy-of-the-eu-legal-order/">Event: The autonomy of the EU legal order</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-does-artificial-intelligence-exacerbate-injustices/">Blog: Does Artificial Intelligence exacerbate injustices?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/2020-joining-forces-in-an-eventful-year/">2020: Joining forces in an eventful year</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-asser-press-publication-human-dignity-and-human-security-in-times-of-terrorism/">New Asser Press publication: “Human Dignity and Human Security in Times of Terrorism”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-using-big-data-for-research-and-policy-analysis-how-to-deal-with-legal-and-ethical-concerns/">[Blog] Using big data for research and policy analysis: how to deal with legal and ethical concerns?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/symposium-and-book-presentation-on-responses-to-the-threats-to-the-judiciarys-independence/">Symposium and book presentation on responses to the threats to the judiciary's independence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-curtailing-the-surveillance-state-anticipating-the-syri-case-judgment/">[Interview]: Curtailing the surveillance state? Anticipating the SyRI case judgment</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/conference-migration-deals-and-their-damaging-effects/">[Conference] Migration deals and their damaging effects</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/finnish-ambassador-to-speak-in-an-upcoming-asser-lecture/">Finnish Ambassador to speak in an upcoming Asser lecture</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/global-justice-cinema-eight-films-on-finding-truth-and-fighting-for-justice/">Global Justice Cinema: Eight Films on Finding Truth and Fighting for Justice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-writes-on-the-practice-of-the-african-court-and-the-others/">Asser researcher writes on the practice of the African Court and the ‘others’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/same-sex-spouses-should-enjoy-the-same-free-movement-rights-according-to-eu-law/">Same-sex spouses should enjoy the same free movement rights according to EU law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-writes-on-the-limits-of-digital-surveillance-for-het-parool/">Asser researcher writes on the limits of digital surveillance for Het Parool</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-in-the-news-mexico-s-amnesty-proposal-an-instrument-of-transitional-justice/">[Asser in the news] Mexico’s amnesty proposal: an instrument of transitional justice?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-project-strengthening-the-role-of-legal-actors-in-the-defence-of-the-right-to-freedom-of-expression/">New project: ‘Strengthening the role of legal actors in the defence of the right to freedom of expression’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/covid-19-update-on-tmc-assers-2020-summer-programmes/">Covid-19 update on T.M.C. Asser's 2020 summer programmes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/analysis-covid-19-us-border-closure-breaches-international-refugee-law/">[Analysis] COVID-19: US border closure breaches International Refugee Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-migration-revisiting-the-legal-nature-of-the-2016-eu-turkey-statement/">[Blog post] Migration: Revisiting the legal nature of the 2016 EU-Turkey statement</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-democracy-in-times-of-crisis-the-state-of-emergency-in-hungary/">[Blog post] Democracy in times of crisis: The state of emergency in Hungary</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-grotius-rule-of-law-and-the-human-sense-of-justice-an-afterword-to-martti-koskenniemi-s-foreword-by-janne-e-nijman/">[New publication] Grotius’ ‘rule of law’ and the human sense of justice; an afterword to Martti Koskenniemi’s foreword by Janne E. Nijman</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-rendering-advice-on-constitutional-issues-in-modern-polities/">[Call for papers] Rendering advice on constitutional issues in modern polities</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-international-public-interest-advocacy-online-workshop/">[SIGN UP NOW] International public interest advocacy online workshop</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/imagining-justice-visiting-physical-sites-of-international-law/">Imagining Justice: visiting physical sites of international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-a-home-grown-african-court/">[Blog post] The beginning of the end of a home-grown African Court?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-belarusian-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-denial-and-a-military-parade/">The Belarusian response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Denial and a military parade</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-receives-royal-netherlands-academy-of-arts-and-sciences-early-career-partnership-award/">Asser researcher receives Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Early Career Partnership Award</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-for-our-upcoming-training-courses-1/">Sign up now for our upcoming training courses (1)</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/recording-ombudsperson-to-the-un-security-council-isil-da-esh-and-al-qaida-sanctions-committee-protecting-human-rights-in-counterterrorism-sanctions/">[Recording] Ombudsperson to the UN Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions committee: protecting human rights in counterterrorism sanctions</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/2020-asil-hague-institutions-hosted-the-closing-plenary-on-cities-and-international-law/">[2020 ASIL] Hague institutions hosted the closing plenary on cities and international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-paper-planetary-boundaries-intra-muros-cities-and-the-anthropocene/">[New paper] Planetary boundaries intra muros: Cities and the Anthropocene</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-international-lawyer-nawi-ukabiala-use-international-norms-and-dispute-settlement-to-promote-racial-justice-in-the-us/">[Interview] International lawyer Nawi Ukabiala: 'Use international norms and dispute settlement to promote racial justice in the US'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-in-the-media-asser-researcher-león-castellanos-jankiewicz-us-measures-against-migrants-undercut-international-refugee-law/">[Asser in the media] Asser researcher León Castellanos-Jankiewicz: ‘US measures against migrants undercut international refugee law’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/online-round-table-trading-emerging-technologies-security-and-human-rights-perspectives/">[Online round table] Trading emerging technologies: Security and human rights perspectives</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/op-ed-janne-nijman-mary-o-connell-a-better-world-emerging-from-the-crises/">[Op-ed] Janne Nijman & Mary O’Connell: ‘A Better World Emerging from the Crises’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-co-authors-guiding-principles-on-shared-responsibility-in-international-law/">Asser researcher co-authors Guiding Principles on Shared Responsibility in International Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/analysis-asser-researcher-uladzislau-belavusau-reflects-on-the-political-crisis-in-belarus/">[Analysis] Asser researcher Uladzislau Belavusau reflects on the political crisis in Belarus</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/opening-academic-year-academic-director-janne-nijman-it-is-the-human-mind-that-may-evoke-change/">[Opening academic year] Academic director Janne Nijman: ‘It is the human mind that may evoke change’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/lex-sportiva-new-publications-on-transnational-sports-law/">[Lex sportiva] New publications on transnational sports law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/online-round-table-trading-emerging-technologies-security-and-human-rights-perspectives/">[Online round table] Trading emerging technologies: Security and human rights perspectives</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/in-memoriam-antoinette-wessels-voorbij/">In Memoriam: Antoinette Wessels-Voorbij</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/online-expert-panel-missing-persons-and-memory-governance/">[Online expert panel] Missing persons and memory governance</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publications-what-kind-of-future-for-eu-uk-relations-in-the-post-brexit-world/">[New publications] What kind of future for EU-UK relations in the post-Brexit world?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/recording-online-expert-panel-on-missing-persons-and-memory-governance/">[Recording] Online expert panel on missing persons and memory governance</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/online-symposium-informalisation-of-the-eu-s-external-action-in-the-fields-of-migration-and-asylum/">[Online symposium] Informalisation of the EU’s external action in the fields of migration and asylum</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/winter-academy-alert-save-the-date-for-our-2021-winter-academies/">[Winter academy alert!] Save the date for our 2021 winter academies</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/a-new-way-forward-tmc-asser-instituut-and-university-of-amsterdam-join-forces-in-the-hague/">A new way forward: T.M.C. Asser Instituut and University of Amsterdam join forces in The Hague</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-constitutionalism-under-stress-essays-in-honour-of-wojciech-sadurski/">[New publication] ‘Constitutionalism under Stress: Essays in Honour of Wojciech Sadurski’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/registration-open-online-winter-academy-doing-business-right/">[Registration open] Online winter academy ‘Doing business right'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/just-peace-month-online-lecture-bigdatalk-talking-and-learning-about-the-use-of-big-data-in-security-practices/">[Just Peace Month] Online lecture ‘Bigdatalk: talking and learning about the use of Big Data in security practices’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/phd-defence-the-legal-governance-of-historical-memory-and-the-rule-of-law/">[PhD defence] ‘The legal governance of historical memory and the rule of law’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/consolidation-the-netherlands-network-for-human-rights-research-now-incorporates-all-dutch-law-schools/">[Consolidation] ‘The Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research now incorporates all Dutch law schools’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/register-now-online-winter-academy-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law/">[Register now] Online winter academy 'Artificial intelligence and international law'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-beyond-ai-ethics-international-law-and-human-rights-for-ai-accountability/">[Blog] Beyond AI ethics: International law and human rights for AI accountability</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-empirical-socio-legal-methods-in-international-law-masterclass/">Call for Papers: Empirical & Socio-legal Methods in International Law Masterclass</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/tmc-asser-instituut-invites-researchers-to-jointly-submit-applications-for-a-marie-curie-individual-fellowship/">T.M.C. Asser Instituut invites researchers to jointly submit applications for a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/ai-and-blockchain-for-good-harnessing-technological-developments-to-foster-trust/">AI and Blockchain for Good: Harnessing Technological Developments to Foster Trust</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/meeting-the-four-freedoms-award-laureates-in-the-hague/">Meeting the Four Freedoms Award Laureates in The Hague</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/expert-roundtable-on-citizenship-stripping-as-a-security-measure/">Expert Roundtable on Citizenship Stripping as a Security Measure</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-long-term-risk-of-non-repatriation-of-dutch-children-in-syrian-camps/">The Long-Term Risk of non-Repatriation of Dutch Children in Syrian Camps</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/tmc-asser-instituut-becomes-a-member-of-the-common-effort-community/">T.M.C. Asser Instituut becomes a member of the Common Effort Community</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-interdisciplinary-doctoral-symposium-democracy-rule-of-law-and-human-rights-in-europe-and-the-world-in-times-of-contestation/">Call for Papers: "Interdisciplinary Doctoral Symposium Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights in Europe and the World in Times of Contestation"</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/exploring-states-obligations-to-prevent-gross-human-rights-violations/">Exploring States’ Obligations to Prevent Gross Human Rights Violations</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/a-tale-of-two-cities-the-roles-of-geneva-and-the-hague-two-un-cities-in-driving-global-justice/">“A Tale of Two Cities”: The Roles of Geneva and The Hague, two UN cities, in Driving Global Justice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/policy-brief-the-case-for-a-court-of-arbitration-for-business-and-human-rights/">Policy Brief: ‘The Case for a Court of Arbitration for Business and Human Rights’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-federal-rainbow-dream-on-free-movement-of-gay-spouses-under-eu-law/">The Federal Rainbow Dream: On Free Movement of Gay Spouses Under EU Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-10th-anniversary-cleer-conference-eu-external-relations-tackling-global-challenges/">Call for Papers - 10th Anniversary CLEER Conference: ‘EU external relations: Tackling global challenges?’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-receives-funding-for-a-project-on-autonomous-military-technologies-and-state-responsibility/">Asser Researcher Receives Funding for a Project on Autonomous Military Technologies and State Responsibility</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/moving-forward-five-years-after-the-rana-plaza-collapse/">Moving Forward Five Years after the Rana Plaza Collapse</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/last-surviving-nuremberg-prosecutor-benjamin-ferencz-visits-the-asser-institute/">Last Surviving Nuremberg Prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz Visits the Asser Institute</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-yearbook-of-international-humanitarian-law-vol-21-2018/">Call for Papers - Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, Vol. 21 (2018)</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/seventh-annual-phd-day/">Seventh Annual PhD Day</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/eu-trade-and-investment-policy/">EU Trade and Investment Policy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-applications-fellowship-programme-for-human-rights-defenders-2018/">Call for Applications: Fellowship Programme For Human Rights Defenders 2018</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/excesses-of-counter-terrorism-and-constitutional-review-in-france-the-example-of-the-criminalisation-of-the-consultation-of-websites/">Excesses of Counter-Terrorism and Constitutional Review in France: The Example of the Criminalisation of the Consultation of Websites</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-right-to-fair-trial-and-the-rise-of-sensitive-intelligence-evidence-responses-from-the-dutch-and-uk-courts/">The Right to Fair Trial and the Rise of Sensitive Intelligence Evidence: Responses from the Dutch and UK Courts</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/launch-of-second-asser-verfassungsblog-symposium-courts-and-counter-terrorism/">Launch of Second Asser-Verfassungsblog Symposium: Courts and Counter-Terrorism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/policy-brief-street-renaming-after-the-change-of-political-regime/">Policy Brief: Street Renaming after the Change of Political Regime</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-institute-participates-in-the-closing-plenary-of-asil-s-112th-annual-meeting/">Asser Institute participates in the closing plenary of ASIL’s 112th Annual Meeting</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-s-first-winter-academy-on-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law/">Asser’s First Winter Academy on Artificial Intelligence and International Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/looking-back-at-the-book-launch-shifting-perspectives-on-the-european-public-prosecutor-s-office/">Looking back at the Book launch: Shifting Perspectives on the European Public Prosecutor’s Office</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-the-international-legality-of-economic-activities-in-occupied-territories/">Call for Papers: The International Legality of Economic Activities in Occupied Territories?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-congo-tribunal-where-art-and-international-law-meet/">The Congo Tribunal – Where Art and International Law Meet</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/cleer-organises-its-4th-summer-school-in-brussels-on-the-law-of-eu-external-relations/">CLEER Organises its 4th Summer School in Brussels on the Law of EU External Relations</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/cleer-lecture-on-the-brexit-conundrum-at-maastricht-university-in-brussels/">CLEER Lecture on 'The Brexit conundrum' at Maastricht University in Brussels</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-asser-institute-co-organises-a-memory-laws-workshop-with-berkeley-law-school/">The Asser Institute Co-organises a Memory Laws Workshop with Berkeley Law School</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/back-home-action-plans-under-the-spotlight-in-tunis/">Back Home Action Plans under the Spotlight in Tunis</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-institute-researchers-participate-in-making-a-difference-conference-hosted-by-the-dutch-ministry-of-justice-and-security/">Asser Institute Researchers Participate in “Making a Difference" Conference Hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/morality-and-responsibility-of-rulers/">Morality and Responsibility of Rulers</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-asser-institute-signed-a-new-agreement-with-the-university-of-amsterdam/">The Asser Institute Signed a New Agreement with the University of Amsterdam</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/on-the-interaction-between-transnational-crimes-and-international-crimes/">On the Interaction between Transnational Crimes and International Crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/launching-the-website-of-the-global-city-challenges-trust-and-the-role-of-law-project/">Launching the Website of ‘The Global City: Challenges, Trust and the Role of Law’ Project</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/meet-the-world-join-the-asser-institute-at-the-movies-that-matter-festival-2018/">‘Meet the World’ – Join the Asser Institute at the Movies that Matter Festival 2018</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-and-transnational-criminal-law-training-course-marks-new-asser-cassese-initiative-cooperation/">International and Transnational Criminal Law Training Course Marks New Asser - Cassese Initiative Cooperation</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/inside-the-mladic-trial-a-report/">Inside the Mladic Trial: A Report</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/looking-back-at-human-dignity-and-human-security-in-times-of-terrorism-conference/">Looking Back at Human Dignity and Human Security in Times of Terrorism Conference</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/highlights-contemporary-constraints-on-the-waging-of-war-a-tribute-to-prof-frits-kalshoven/">Highlights: "Contemporary Constraints on the Waging of War: A Tribute to Prof. Frits Kalshoven”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/restoring-trust-in-the-rule-of-law/">Restoring Trust in the Rule of Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-s-academic-director-to-teach-history-of-the-idea-of-international-law-in-geneva/">Asser’s Academic Director to teach ‘History of the Idea of International Law’ in Geneva</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-foreign-fighters-tab-launched-on-the-international-crimes-database/">New Foreign Fighters Tab Launched on the International Crimes Database</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/connecting-research-and-practice-at-the-doing-business-right-winter-academy/">Connecting Research and Practice at the 'Doing Business Right Winter Academy'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/university-of-amsterdam-s-rector-underlines-the-importance-of-the-asser-institute-s-international-focus-in-research/">University of Amsterdam’s Rector Underlines the Importance of the Asser Institute’s International Focus in Research</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/concluding-asser-verfassungsblog-symposium-final-thoughts-on-mnemonic-constitutionalism/">Concluding Asser - Verfassungsblog Symposium: Final Thoughts on Mnemonic Constitutionalism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/memory-wars-of-commercial-worth-the-legal-status-of-the-red-star-in-hungary/">Memory Wars of Commercial Worth – The Legal Status of the Red Star in Hungary</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/rule-of-law-in-poland-memory-politics-and-belarusian-minority/">Rule of Law in Poland: Memory Politics and Belarusian Minority</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-eu-turkey-statement-or-the-refugee-deal-the-extra-legal-deal-of-extraordinary-times/">The EU-Turkey Statement or the ‘Refugee Deal’: The Extra-Legal Deal of Extraordinary Times?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-asser-institute-successfully-wraps-up-its-first-international-lawyering-in-a-public-interest-summer-programme/">The Asser Institute Successfully Wraps up its First International Lawyering in a Public Interest Summer Programme</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-institute-researcher-new-editor-in-chief-of-the-security-and-human-rights-monitor/">Asser Institute researcher new Editor in Chief of the Security and Human Rights Monitor</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/disarmament-and-non-proliferation-training-in-times-of-new-nuclear-arms-race/">Disarmament and non-proliferation training in times of new nuclear arms race</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/countering-terrorism-within-the-rule-of-law/">Countering Terrorism within the Rule of Law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/we-re-hiring-three-vacancies-at-the-asser-institute/">We’re hiring! Three vacancies at the Asser Institute</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-in-the-press-on-the-chagos-island-case/">Asser in the press on the Chagos Island case</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/three-asser-memory-law-researchers-will-speak-in-budapest/">Three Asser memory law researchers will speak in Budapest</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/how-to-remember-the-past-book-launch-and-workshop-on-memory-laws/">How to remember the past? Book launch and workshop on memory laws</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/european-court-dismisses-claims-by-speed-skater/">European court dismisses claims by speed skater</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-court-of-justice-condemns-us-for-iran-sanctions/">International Court of Justice condemns US for Iran sanctions</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/using-technology-to-disrupt-land-grabbing/">Using technology to disrupt land-grabbing</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/publish-or-perish-why-legal-scholars-need-to-embrace-social-media/">Publish or perish: Why legal scholars need to embrace social media</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-athletes-case-results-in-more-transparency-in-sports/">New blog: Athletes' case results in more transparency in sports</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/making-transnational-corporations-comply-with-human-rights-standards/">Making transnational corporations comply with human rights standards</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-terrorism-cases-and-working-papers-added-to-the-international-crimes-database/">New terrorism cases and working papers added to the International Crimes Database</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-lecture-2018-international-law-and-the-far-right-reflections-on-law-and-cynicism/">Annual Lecture 2018: International law and the far right - Reflections on law and cynicism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/how-advanced-technologies-could-help-international-law/">How advanced technologies could help international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-law-and-the-far-right-reflections-on-law-and-cynicism/">International law and the far right: Reflections on law and cynicism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/save-the-date-winter-academy-on-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law/">Save the date: Winter academy on artificial intelligence and international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/online-inter-university-programme-on-international-criminal-law-and-procedure-for-lebanese-students/">Online inter-university programme on international criminal law and procedure for Lebanese students</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/children-of-is-parents-should-be-repatriated-for-long-term-security-reasons/">‘Children of IS parents should be repatriated for long-term security reasons’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/five-scholarships-for-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law-winter-academy/">Five scholarships for Artificial Intelligence and International Law Winter Academy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/león-castellanos-jankiewicz-wins-david-d-caron-prize/">León Castellanos-Jankiewicz wins David D. Caron Prize</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-eu-anti-discrimination-law-beyond-gender/">New Publication: EU Anti-Discrimination Law Beyond Gender</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-impact-of-sensitive-intelligence-evidence-on-court-systems/">New publication: Impact of sensitive intelligence evidence on court systems</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/monkey-code-wins-asser-institute-land-grabbing-challenge-at-the-hackathon-for-peace-justice-and-security/">Monkey Code wins Asser Institute land grabbing challenge at the Hackathon for Peace, Justice and Security</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/football-leaks-asser-in-the-press/">Football Leaks: Asser in the press</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/brexit-withdrawal-agreement-not-much-space-for-an-autonomous-uk-trade-policy/">Brexit withdrawal agreement: ‘Not much space for an autonomous UK trade policy’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/pros-and-cons-of-eu-cooperation-on-migration/">Pros and cons of EU cooperation on migration</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-policy-brief-counter-terrorism-measures-need-to-be-evaluated/">New policy brief: ‘Counter-terrorism measures need to be evaluated’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-why-eu-member-states-should-not-hesitate-to-vote-for-the-global-compact-for-migration/">Blog: ‘Why EU member states should not hesitate to vote for the Global Compact for Migration’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/preliminary-programme-out-now-artificial-intelligence-international-law-winter-academy/">Preliminary programme out now! Artificial Intelligence & International Law Winter Academy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/icl-tcl-training-marks-successful-asser-antonio-cassese-initiative-collaboration/">ICL-TCL Training Marks Successful Asser Antonio Cassese Initiative Collaboration</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/five-student-scholarships-available-for-the-doing-business-right-winter-academy/">Five student scholarships available for the Doing Business Right Winter Academy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/ernst-hirsch-ballin-spoke-on-the-freedom-of-speech/">Ernst Hirsch Ballin spoke on the Freedom of Speech</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/uk-and-australia-combatting-modern-slavery-in-the-supply-chain-of-businesses/">'UK and Australia combatting modern slavery in the supply chain of businesses'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/exclusive-interview-with-martti-koskenniemi-on-international-law-and-the-rise-of-the-far-right/">Exclusive interview with Martti Koskenniemi on international law and the rise of the far right</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-who-is-responsible-for-the-war-crimes-of-killer-robots/">Blog: Who is responsible for the war crimes of killer robots?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/excellent-midterm-review-for-the-tmc-asser-instituut/">Excellent midterm review for the T.M.C. Asser Instituut</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/inter-university-programme-the-most-important-investment-the-stl-could-have-made-in-promoting-justice-accountability-and-the-rule-of-law-in-lebanon/">[Inter-university programme] ‘The most important investment the STL could have made in promoting justice, accountability and the rule of law in Lebanon’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/preliminary-programme-out-sign-up-now-for-our-online-summer-law-programme-on-international-criminal-law-and-counter-terrorism/">[Preliminary programme out] Sign up now for our online summer law programme on international criminal law and counter-terrorism</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-imagining-solidarity-in-international-and-regional-law/">[Call for papers] ‘Imagining solidarity in international and regional law’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/preliminary-programme-out-top-speakers-for-our-advanced-summer-programme-on-terrorism-countering-terrorism-and-the-rule-of-law/">[Preliminary programme out] Top speakers for our advanced summer programme on terrorism, countering terrorism and the rule of law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sign-up-now-online-workshop-international-public-interest-advocacy/">[Sign up now] Online workshop: International public interest advocacy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/masterclass-asser-masterclass-on-investing-in-africa-will-give-you-a-private-international-law-toolkit/">[Masterclass] Asser Masterclass on investing in Africa will give you a private international law toolkit</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-opening-statement-of-the-prosecution-in-international-criminal-trials/">[New publication] The opening statement of the prosecution in international criminal trials</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-autonomous-weapons-and-the-responsibility-gap-in-the-icc-statute/">[New publication] Autonomous weapons and the responsibility gap in the ICC statute</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/stakeholder-report-more-attention-needed-to-local-stakeholders-and-affected-communities-engagement-with-the-icc/">[Stakeholder report] More attention needed to local stakeholders' and affected communities' engagement with the ICC</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/preliminary-programme-out-sign-up-for-the-international-public-interest-advocacy-workshop/">[Preliminary programme out] Sign up for the international public interest advocacy workshop</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/updated-programme-asser-masterclass-on-investing-in-africa/">[Updated programme] Asser Masterclass on investing in Africa</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-artificial-intelligence-the-new-frontier-of-business-and-human-rights/">[Call for papers] Artificial intelligence: the new frontier of business and human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/10th-annual-phd-day-a-safe-space-for-phd-researchers-to-test-ideas/">[10th Annual PhD Day] 'A safe space for PhD researchers to test ideas'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/knaw-award-for-asser-associate-fellow-dimitri-van-den-meerssche/">KNAW award for Asser Associate Fellow Dimitri Van Den Meerssche</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-with-asser-researcher-chukwuma-okoli/">[Interview] with Asser researcher Chukwuma Okoli</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-scl-lecture-visualising-the-mladic-trial/">[New SCL lecture] Visualising the Mladic Trial</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/global-city-project-defence-day-for-two-asser-phd-researchers/">[Global City project] Defence day for two Asser PhD researchers</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/in-the-media-final-ruling-for-mladić-on-genocide-conviction/">[In the media] Final ruling for Mladić on genocide conviction</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/programme-and-registration-fourth-annual-nnhrr-conference-human-rights-and-vulnerability/">[Programme and registration] Fourth annual NNHRR conference: human rights and vulnerability</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-in-parliamentary-roundtable-on-the-threat-of-repatriation-of-former-is-fighters/">Asser researcher in parliamentary roundtable on the threat of repatriation of former IS fighters</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-method-methodology-and-critique-in-international-law/">[Call for papers] Method, methodology and critique in international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/one-year-of-matra-strengthening-ukraines-capacity-to-investigate-and-prosecute-international-crimes/">One year of MATRA: strengthening Ukraine's capacity to investigate and prosecute international crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-researcher-rumyana-van-ark-the-legacy-of-the-war-on-terror/">[Interview] Researcher Rumyana van Ark: The legacy of the War on Terror</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-researcher-rebecca-mignot-mahdavi-states-have-used-the-law-as-a-tool-to-legitimise-intrusive-security-practices-which-put-individual-liberties-at-risk/">[Interview] Researcher Rebecca Mignot-Mahdavi: "“States have used the law as a tool to legitimise intrusive security practices, which put individual liberties at risk”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-scholarships-available-join-our-disarmament-and-non-proliferation-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction-training/">[ New scholarships available ] Join our Disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction training</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-report-2020-the-year-of-zoom/">[Annual Report 2020] ‘The year of Zoom’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-podcast-lethal-autonomous-weapons-10-things-we-want-to-know/">[New podcast] Lethal Autonomous Weapons: 10 things we want to know</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-ecocide-as-an-international-crime-perspectives-from-domestic-and-international-law/">Call for papers: ‘Ecocide as an international crime: Perspectives from domestic and international law’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/opening-academic-year-janne-nijman-sharing-ideas-to-help-shape-a-post-covid-world/">[Opening Academic Year] Janne Nijman: 'Sharing ideas to help shape a post-COVID world'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-collaboration-between-the-hofstad-lyceum-and-the-tmc-asser-instituut/">Research collaboration between the Hofstad Lyceum and the T.M.C. Asser Instituut</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/apply-now-nuffic-mena-scholarships-for-law-courses-for-young-professionals-2021/">[Apply now] Nuffic MENA scholarships for law courses for young professionals 2021</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/thilo-marauhn-appointed-extraordinary-professor-of-international-arms-control-law/">Thilo Marauhn appointed Extraordinary Professor of International Arms Control Law</a> </li> <li class="current"> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-ernst-hirsch-ballin-the-ability-to-see-us-in-them-is-decisive-for-the-whole-issue-of-migration/">[Interview] Ernst Hirsch Ballin: ‘The ability to see ‘us in them’ is decisive for the whole issue of migration’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/global-city-project-phd-defence-day-for-miha-marčenko-on-the-role-of-the-city-in-international-law-and-governance/">[Global City project] PhD defence day for Miha Marčenko on the role of the city in international law and governance</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/updated-programme-the-art-and-international-law-laboratory-experiences-of-justice/">[Updated programme] The art and international law laboratory: experiences of justice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-cambridge-companion-to-hugo-grotius/">[New publication] The Cambridge Companion to Hugo Grotius</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/researcher-sofia-stolk-we-should-never-stop-asking-questions-and-art-can-be-a-way-to-do-that/">Researcher Sofia Stolk: “We should never stop asking questions, and art can be a way to do that”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-war-crimes-units-legislative-organisational-and-technical-lessons/">[New publication] War crimes units: Legislative, organisational and technical lessons</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-essay-urban-legacies-of-911-an-international-law-perspective/">[New essay] Urban Legacies of 9/11: An International Law Perspective</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-essay-monopolisation-concentrated-power-and-economic-embeddings-in-machine-learning-artificial-intelligence/">[New essay] ‘Monopolisation - Concentrated power and economic embeddings in Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-asser-researcher-christophe-paulussen-it-was-an-interview-with-benjamin-ferencz-which-pushed-me-to-the-field-of-international-criminal-law/">[Interview] Asser researcher Christophe Paulussen: It was an interview with Benjamin Ferencz, which pushed me to the field of international criminal law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-symposium-delocalized-justice-the-delocalization-of-corporate-accountability-for-human-rights-violations-originating-in-africa/">[Blog Symposium] Delocalized Justice: the delocalization of corporate accountability for human rights violations originating in Africa</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-lecture-europe-s-role-in-the-world-player-or-plaything/">[Annual Lecture] Europe’s role in the world: player or plaything?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-paper-evidentiary-and-charging-matters-in-the-context-of-prosecuting-returning-foreign-fighters-before-national-courts/">[Research paper] ‘Evidentiary and charging matters in the context of prosecuting returning foreign fighters before national courts’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-research-handbook-on-international-law-and-cities/">[New publication] Research handbook on international law and cities</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-law-and-ethics-of-ai-in-the-public-sector/">[Call for papers] Law and ethics of AI in the public sector</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-research-project-the-challenge-of-populist-memory-politics-for-europe-towards-effective-responses-to-militant-legislation-on-the-past-memocracy/">[New research project] ‘The challenge of populist memory politics for Europe: Towards effective responses to militant legislation on the past (MEMOCRACY)’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/apply-now-nuffic-okp-scholarships-for-law-courses-for-young-professionals-2021/">[Apply now] Nuffic OKP scholarships for law courses for young professionals 2021</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/policy-brief-third-revised-draft-treaty-on-business-and-human-rights-comments-and-recommendations/">[Policy brief] ‘Third Revised Draft Treaty on Business and Human Rights: Comments and Recommendations’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-handbook-launch-cities-and-their-global-networks/">[Research handbook launch] Cities and their global networks</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-researcher-thilo-marauhn-re-elected-to-the-international-humanitarian-fact-finding-commission/">Asser researcher Thilo Marauhn re-elected to the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-in-the-media-security-risks-can-be-better-managed-if-the-people-detained-in-syrian-camps-are-repatriated-in-a-controlled-manner/">[Asser in the media] ‘Security risks can be better managed if the people detained in Syrian camps are repatriated in a controlled manner’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-brigid-laffan-on-the-geo-political-threats-facing-europe-the-rest-of-the-world-is-tired-of-our-preaching/">[Interview] Brigid Laffan on the geo-political threats facing Europe: ‘The rest of the world is tired of our preaching’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-research-paper-family-courts-as-part-of-states-counter-terrorism-toolkit-a-welcome-development-for-the-children-of-ftfs/">[New research paper] ‘Family courts as part of states’ counter-terrorism toolkit: A welcome development for the children of FTFs?’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/max-van-der-stoel-human-rights-award-2021-for-phd-thesis-by-yousra-benfquih-a-book-that-challenges-readers-to-react/">Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award 2021 for PhD thesis by Yousra Benfquih: ‘A book that challenges readers to react’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-asser-researcher-tarik-gherbaoui-with-my-research-i-aim-to-reach-the-decision-makers-in-the-field-of-counter-terrorism/">[Interview] Asser researcher Tarik Gherbaoui: ‘With my research I aim to reach the decision-makers in the field of counter-terrorism’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/op-ed-christophe-paulussen-nationality-deprivation-in-the-interest-of-national-security-on-symbolism-irrationality-and-the-evaluation-of-a-flawed-law/">[Op-ed] Christophe Paulussen: “Nationality deprivation in the interest of national security: on symbolism, irrationality and the 'evaluation' of a flawed law”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/goals-for-the-new-year-register-now-for-our-2022-training-programmes/">Goals for the New Year? Register now for our 2022 training programmes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-tomasz-zurek-soon-autonomous-military-devices-will-appear-in-almost-every-conflict-in-the-world/">[Interview] Tomasz Zurek: ‘Soon, autonomous military devices will appear in almost every conflict in the world'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-visiting-fellow-in-parliamentary-roundtable-on-afghanistan/">Asser visiting fellow in parliamentary roundtable on Afghanistan</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/a-new-year-and-a-new-research-agenda-rethinking-public-interests-in-international-and-european-law/">A new year and a new research agenda: ‘Rethinking public interests in international and European law’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/online-symposium-decolonisation-and-human-rights-the-dutch-case/">[Online symposium] Decolonisation and human rights - the Dutch case</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-global-europe-book-series-the-informalisation-of-the-eus-external-action-in-the-field-of-migration-and-asylum/">[New publication] Global Europe Book Series: The informalisation of the EU's external action in the field of migration and asylum</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-shifting-the-narrative-not-weapons-but-technologies-of-warfare/">[New blog post] ‘Shifting the narrative: not weapons, but technologies of warfare’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-funding-for-elsa-lab-defence-project-on-military-artificial-intelligence/">Research funding for ELSA Lab Defence project on military artificial intelligence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/janne-nijman-new-chair-supervisory-board-of-the-world-press-photo-foundation/">Janne Nijman new chair supervisory board of the World Press Photo Foundation</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/inter-university-programme-kicking-off-the-tenth-season-of-the-lebanon-lecture-series/">[Inter-university programme] Kicking off the tenth season of the Lebanon Lecture Series</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/freedom-of-expression-in-the-olympic-movement/">Freedom of expression in the Olympic Movement</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-asser-researcher-sadjad-soltanzadeh-it-is-important-for-us-to-study-human-activities-as-much-as-we-study-any-technological-object/">[Interview] Asser researcher Sadjad Soltanzadeh: ‘It is important for us to study human activities as much as we study any technological object’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/icl-tcl-training-strengthening-domestic-capacity-to-prosecute-international-and-transnational-crimes-in-africa/">[ICL-TCL training] Strengthening domestic capacity to prosecute international and transnational crimes in Africa</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-attack-on-ukraine-violates-the-most-fundamental-rules-of-international-law/">The attack on Ukraine violates the most fundamental rules of international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-arms-control-law-chair-thilo-marauhn-we-need-to-adapt-current-arms-control-law-to-address-new-political-challenges/">[Interview] Arms control law chair Thilo Marauhn: ‘We need to adapt current arms control law to address new political challenges’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/event-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-international-legal-implications/">[Event] The Russian invasion of Ukraine: International legal implications</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/upcoming-publication-janne-e-nijman-bertha-von-suttner-locating-international-law-in-novel-and-salon/">[Upcoming publication] Janne E. Nijman: ‘Bertha von Suttner: Locating international law in novel and salon’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-victoria-kerr-de-bunking-the-role-of-international-law-in-the-ukrainian-conflict/">[New blog post] Victoria Kerr: ‘De-bunking the role of international law in the Ukrainian conflict’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/expert-opinion-in-ep-hearing-on-international-human-rights-law-in-occupied-territories/">Expert opinion in EP hearing on international human rights law in occupied territories</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-lecture-europe-in-the-world-the-emergence-of-collective-power-europe-by-prof-brigid-laffan/">[Annual Lecture] 'Europe in the world: The emergence of Collective Power Europe?' by Prof. Brigid Laffan</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asil-2022-closing-plenary-on-arms-control-and-the-peace-movement/">[ASIL 2022] Closing plenary on arms control and the peace movement</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/report-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-international-legal-implications/">[Report] The Russian invasion of Ukraine: International legal implications</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/in-the-media-op-ed-victoria-kerr-international-law-might-appear-powerless-in-the-russian-war-in-ukraine-but-it-is-not/">[In the media] Op-ed Victoria Kerr: ‘International law might appear powerless in the Russian war in Ukraine, but it is not’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/announcement-this-is-a-good-time-to-step-down-the-asser-institute-is-well-positioned-for-the-future/">[Announcement] “This is a good time to step down, the Asser Institute is well-positioned for the future.”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-león-castellanos-jankiewicz-mexico-is-serious-about-making-the-us-gun-industry-accountable-for-the-damages-caused-with-their-products/">[Interview] León Castellanos-Jankiewicz: ‘Mexico is serious about making the US gun industry accountable for the damages caused with their products’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/shelter-city-2022-call-for-applications-for-asser-institute-visiting-research-fellowship/">[Shelter City 2022] Call for applications for Asser Institute visiting research fellowship</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/book-review-james-patrick-sexton-reviews-law-making-and-legitimacy-in-international-humanitarian-law-edited-by-heike-krieger-and-jonas-pueschmann/">[Book review] James Patrick Sexton reviews ‘Law-Making and Legitimacy in International Humanitarian Law’, edited by Heike Krieger and Jonas Püschmann</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-limiting-the-veto-in-the-face-of-jus-cogens-violations-russia-s-latest-ab-use-of-the-veto/">[New blog post] Limiting the veto in the face of jus cogens violations: Russia’s latest (ab)use of the veto</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-research-papers-artificial-intelligence-and-warfare/">[New research papers] Artificial intelligence and warfare</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/out-now-video-and-interview-with-prof-brigid-laffan-on-europe-and-the-hardening-of-geopolitics/">[Out now] Video and interview with Prof. Brigid Laffan on Europe and the hardening of geopolitics</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/out-now-video-on-mexico-v-smith-wesson-discussion-of-transnational-civil-litigation-and-corporate-liability-for-gun-violence/">[Out now] Video on Mexico v Smith & Wesson discussion of transnational civil litigation and corporate liability for gun violence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-city-report-on-buenos-aires-as-an-international-actor/">[New publication] City report on Buenos Aires as an international actor</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/vesna-lazić-elected-to-scientific-council-of-the-european-association-of-private-international-law-eapil/">Vesna Lazić elected to Scientific Council of the European Association of Private International Law (EAPIL)</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-law-summer-schools-learn-something-new-this-summer/">[International law summer schools] Learn something new this summer</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/football-feminism-addressing-discrimination-through-fifa-s-structures-rules-and-governance-practices/">Football feminism: Addressing discrimination through FIFA’s structures, rules, and governance practices</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-daniela-heerdt-human-rights-abuses-in-mega-sporting-events/">[Interview] Daniela Heerdt human rights abuses in mega sporting events</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/farewell-academic-director-janne-e-nijman-i-will-dearly-miss-the-institute-and-all-with-whom-i-collaborated-so-well-throughout-the-years/">Farewell academic director Janne E. Nijman: ‘I will dearly miss the Institute and all with whom I collaborated so well throughout the years’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-book-legal-constraints-on-eu-member-states-in-drafting-accession-agreements/">[New book] Legal constraints on EU member states in drafting accession agreements</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-transgender-women-athlete-exclusion-in-disguise/">[New blog post] Transgender women athlete exclusion in disguise</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-asser-researcher-stavros-evdokimos-pantazopoulos/">[Interview] Asser researcher Stavros Evdokimos Pantazopoulos</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-report-2021-rethinking-public-interests/">[Annual Report 2021] Rethinking public interests</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/cranes-for-our-future-disarmament-and-non-proliferation-for-a-nuclear-free-future/">Cranes for our future – Disarmament and non-proliferation for a nuclear-free future</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-the-european-union-s-sanctioning-of-russian-military-officers-an-urge-for-caution/">[Blog post] The European Union’s sanctioning of Russian military officers: an urge for caution</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/video-conversation-the-fight-for-human-rights-lessons-from-afghanistan-with-asser-institute-fellow-nader-nadery/">[Video conversation] 'The fight for human rights: Lessons from Afghanistan' with Asser Institute fellow Nader Nadery</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/nuclear-disarmament-thea-coventry-codifying-legal-norms-might-not-prevent-nuclear-war-but-it-does-help-to-create-a-world-where-nuclear-weapons-are-unthinkable/">[Nuclear disarmament] Thea Coventry: ‘Codifying legal norms might not prevent nuclear war, but it does help to create a world where nuclear weapons are unthinkable’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/podcast-the-hague-courts-dialogue-series-podcast-short-conversations-with-experts-on-international-law-about-ongoing-cases/">[Podcast] The Hague Courts Dialogue Series podcast: short conversations with experts on international law about ongoing cases</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-human-rights-law-urgent-legal-reforms-needed-for-victims-of-gun-violence/">[International human rights law] Urgent legal reforms needed for victims of gun violence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-handbook-on-international-law-and-cities-awarded-2022-esil-collaborative-book-prize/">Research Handbook on International Law and Cities awarded 2022 ESIL Collaborative Book Prize</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-state-responsibility-in-relation-to-military-applications-of-ai/">[New publication] State responsibility in relation to military applications of AI</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-paper-in-or-out-of-control-criminal-responsibility-of-programmers-of-autonomous-vehicles-and-autonomous-weapon-systems/">[Research paper] In or out of control? Criminal responsibility of programmers of autonomous vehicles and autonomous weapon systems</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/forum-of-legal-actors-supporting-and-defending-the-right-to-freedom-of-expression-and-the-safety-of-journalists/">[Forum of Legal Actors] Supporting and defending the right to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-research-paper-magnitsky-sanctions-fail-to-serve-human-rights-or-security/">[New research paper] 'Magnitsky sanctions fail to serve human rights or security'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-humanitarian-law-taylor-woodcock-we-should-focus-on-the-effects-of-decision-making-aids-tasking-intelligence-surveillance-and-reconnaissance-technology-in-warfare/">[International Humanitarian Law] Taylor Woodcock: ‘We should focus on the effects of decision-making aids, tasking, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology in warfare’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/sports-law-zooming-in-on-the-international-olympic-committee-s-strategic-framework-on-human-rights/">[Sports law] Zooming in on the International Olympic Committee’s strategic framework on human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/save-the-date-spring-academy-on-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law/">[Save the date] Spring Academy on artificial intelligence and international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-shelter-city-research-fellow-ali-erdog-an-european-institutions-can-be-very-patriarchal/">[Interview] Shelter City research fellow Ali Erdoğan: “European institutions can be very patriarchal”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-project-the-potential-of-big-data-technologies-for-the-due-diligence-process/">[New project] The potential of big data technologies for the due diligence process</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/conference-strengthening-ukraine-s-national-efforts-to-investigate-prosecute-adjudicate-and-report-on-international-crimes/">[Conference] Strengthening Ukraine’s national efforts to investigate, prosecute, adjudicate and report on international crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-publication-how-qatar-s-migrant-workers-became-fifa-s-problem-a-transnational-struggle-for-responsibility/">[Research publication] How Qatar’s migrant workers became FIFA’s problem: a transnational struggle for responsibility</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/database-now-live-the-foreign-terrorist-fighters-knowledge-hub/">[Database] Now live: The Foreign Terrorist Fighters Knowledge Hub</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/research-publication-retaining-human-responsibility-in-the-development-and-use-of-autonomous-weapon-systems/">[Research publication] Retaining human responsibility in the development and use of autonomous weapon systems</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/goals-for-the-new-year-register-now-for-our-2023-training-programmes/">Goals for the New Year? Register now for our 2023 training programmes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-virginie-rouas-european-companies-are-polluting-the-global-south-without-facing-full-legal-consequences/">[Interview] Virginie Rouas: ‘European companies are polluting the Global South without facing full legal consequences’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/podcast-ukrainian-war-crimes-trials-with-ukrainian-judges/">[Podcast]: ‘Ukrainian war crimes trials with Ukrainian judges’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-remedy-and-redress-for-sport-related-human-rights-abuses/">[New publication] Remedy and redress for sport-related human rights abuses</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/addressing-human-rights-abuse-in-sport/">Addressing human rights abuse in sport</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-military-artificial-intelligence-and-the-principle-of-distinction-a-state-responsibility-perspective/">[New publication] Military artificial intelligence and the principle of distinction: A state responsibility perspective</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-responsible-international-aid-for-populations-ruled-by-illegitimate-regimes-an-indicative-framework-for-afghanistan/">[New publication] Responsible international aid for populations ruled by illegitimate regimes: An indicative framework for Afghanistan</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/holiday-downtime-catch-up-on-10-international-law-podcasts/">[Holiday downtime?] Catch up on 10 international law podcasts</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-james-patrick-sexton-there-is-a-contrast-between-the-dedication-to-prosecute-war-crimes-and-the-practice/">[Interview] James Patrick Sexton: ‘There is a contrast between the dedication to prosecute war crimes and the practice’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-reparations-are-problematic-to-negotiated-international-criminal-justice/">[Blog post] ‘Reparations are problematic to negotiated (international criminal) justice’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-constitutions-of-value-law-governance-and-political-ecology/">[New publication] Constitutions of value - Law, governance, and political ecology</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-rule-of-law-and-constitutionalisation-of-memory-politics-in-hungary-and-russia/">[New publication] Rule of law and constitutionalisation of memory politics in Hungary and Russia</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/public-panel-how-to-design-and-regulate-for-effective-human-machine-interaction-in-military-ai/">[Public panel] How to design and regulate for effective human-machine interaction in military AI?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-tmc-asser-lecture-the-right-to-food-violence-and-food-systems-by-michael-fakhri/">[Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture] ‘The right to food, violence, and food systems’ by Michael Fakhri</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-principle-of-solidarity-international-and-eu-law-perspectives/">[New publication] The principle of solidarity - International and EU law perspectives</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-road-to-justice-lessons-for-ukraine-from-the-ussr-invasion-of-afghanistan/">[New publication] The road to justice: Lessons for Ukraine from the USSR invasion of Afghanistan</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/law-clinic-access-to-justice-for-gun-violence/">[Law clinic] Access to justice for gun violence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-three-lessons-on-the-regulation-of-autonomous-weapons-systems-to-ensure-accountability-for-violations-of-ihl/">[New blog] Three lessons on the regulation of autonomous weapons systems to ensure accountability for violations of IHL</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-the-eu-as-a-regional-international-organisation/">[Call for Papers] The EU as a Regional International Organisation</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-overlooking-continuity-national-minorities-and-timeless-human-rights/">[New publication] Overlooking continuity: National minorities and ‘timeless’ human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-ecocide-the-environment-as-victim-at-the-international-criminal-court/">[New publication] Ecocide: the environment as victim at the International Criminal Court</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/shelter-city-call-for-applications-for-asser-institute-visiting-research-fellowship/">[Shelter City] Call for applications for Asser Institute visiting research fellowship</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asil-2023-pursuing-global-accountability-for-atrocity-crimes-needs-challenges-and-the-path-forward/">[ASIL 2023] Pursuing global accountability for atrocity crimes: Needs, challenges and the path forward</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-book-chapter-autonomous-weapons/">[New book chapter] Autonomous weapons</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-visiting-researcher-kathleen-claussen-sustainability-trade-and-security-go-hand-in-hand/">[Interview] Visiting researcher Kathleen Claussen: ‘Sustainability, trade and security go hand in hand’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-accountability-in-the-hague-recent-developments-in-dutch-core-international-crimes-cases-regarding-the-syrian-civil-war/">[Blog post] Accountability in The Hague: Recent developments in Dutch core international crimes cases regarding the Syrian civil war</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-returning-foreign-fighters-responses-legal-challenges-and-ways-forward/">[New publication] Returning foreign fighters: Responses, legal challenges and ways forward</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/public-consultation-principles-and-values-for-military-artificial-intelligence/">[Public consultation] Principles and values for military artificial intelligence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/last-call-annual-tmc-asser-lecture-the-right-to-food-violence-and-food-systems/">[Last call] Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture "The right to food, violence and food systems"</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/law-not-war-inspiring-international-criminal-law-champion-benjamin-ferencz-1920-2023-will-be-sorely-missed/">‘Law not war’ – Inspiring international criminal law champion Benjamin Ferencz (1920-2023) will be sorely missed</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/adjudicating-international-crimes-ukrainian-judges-visiting-the-netherlands/">[Adjudicating international crimes]: Ukrainian judges visiting the Netherlands</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/addressing-human-rights-abuses-at-mega-sporting-events-a-shared-responsibility-in-theory-and-practice/">Addressing human rights abuses at mega-sporting events—A shared responsibility in theory and practice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-video-the-right-to-food-violence-and-food-systems-by-michael-fakhri/">[New video] ‘The right to food, violence, and food systems’ by Michael Fakhri</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-the-icc-s-channels-of-communication-icc-defence-perspectives-on-outreach-missions-and-the-right-to-fair-trial/">[New blog post] The ICC’s channels of communication: ICC Defence perspectives on outreach missions and the right to fair trial</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/launch-first-of-its-kind-basic-investigative-standards-for-documenting-international-crimes-in-ukraine/">[Launch] First of its kind basic investigative standards for documenting international crimes in Ukraine</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-including-the-arms-sector-in-the-eu-corporate-due-diligence-directive/">[New blog post] Including the arms sector in the EU Corporate Due Diligence Directive</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/updated-the-foreign-terrorist-fighters-knowledge-hub/">[Updated] The Foreign Terrorist Fighters Knowledge Hub</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-european-court-of-human-rights-and-its-search-for-common-values/">[New publication] The European Court of Human Rights and its search for common values</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-international-sports-law-journal-conference/">[Call for papers] International Sports Law Journal conference</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/exchange-meeting-focuses-on-conflict-related-crimes-against-children-in-ukraine/">Exchange meeting focuses on conflict-related crimes against children in Ukraine</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-enforcing-sanctions-violations-to-fund-the-reconstruction-of-ukraine/">[New blog post] Enforcing sanctions violations to fund the reconstruction of Ukraine</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/unleash-your-potential-with-our-transformative-summer-programmes/">Unleash your potential with our transformative summer programmes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/prosecuting-international-crimes-in-africa-strengthening-legal-capacities/">Prosecuting international crimes in Africa: Strengthening legal capacities</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/digital-art-exhibition-exposure-solidarity-resistance-photographing-the-daily-life-of-human-rights/">[Digital art exhibition] Exposure, solidarity, resistance: photographing the daily life of human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-tarik-gherbaoui-with-my-research-i-aim-to-reach-the-decision-makers-in-the-field-of-counter-terrorism/">[Interview] Tarik Gherbaoui: ‘With my research I aim to reach the decision-makers in the field of counter-terrorism’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-the-sovereignty-of-sharing-an-interview-with-un-special-rapporteur-michael-fakhri/">[Interview] The sovereignty of sharing: An interview with UN Special Rapporteur Michael Fakhri</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-weaponising-russia-s-memory-law-on-russia-s-anti-war-dissidents/">[New blog post] Weaponising Russia’s memory law: On Russia’s anti-war dissidents</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-many-hands-in-the-black-box-artificial-intelligence-and-the-responsibility-of-international-organisations/">[New publication] Many hands in the black box: Artificial intelligence and the responsibility of international organisations</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-report-finds-major-gaps-in-accountability-for-european-arms-exports/">New report finds major gaps in accountability for European arms exports</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/can-chatgpt-solve-legal-dilemmas-related-to-the-military-use-of-artificial-intelligence/">Can ChatGPT solve legal dilemmas related to the military use of artificial intelligence?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-niki-siampakou-victims-could-be-important-actors-in-counter-terrorism-efforts/">[Interview] Niki Siampakou: ‘Victims could be important actors in counter-terrorism efforts’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/dirty-bombs-and-nuclear-power-plants-how-does-international-law-protect-us-from-nuclear-disaster/">'Dirty bombs' and nuclear power plants: How does international law protect us from nuclear disaster?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/dutch-government-receives-parliamentary-questions-on-european-arms-exports/">Dutch government receives parliamentary questions on European arms exports</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-counterterrorism-expert-thomas-renard-everyone-is-struggling-to-identify-how-to-best-respond-to-extremism/">[Interview] Counterterrorism expert Thomas Renard: ‘Everyone is struggling to identify how to best respond to extremism’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-anti-isil-coalition-civilian-harm-and-the-obligation-to-investigate/">[New publication] The Anti-ISIL coalition, civilian harm, and the obligation to investigate</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-lessons-learned-on-addressing-human-rights-abuses-in-qatar/">[New publication] Lessons learned on addressing human rights abuses in Qatar</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-brussels-i-bis-regulation-a-key-legal-instrument-for-unified-eu-private-international-law/">The Brussels I-bis Regulation: A key legal instrument for unified EU private international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-article-addressing-online-terrorist-content-through-the-grammar-of-human-rights-law/">[New article] Addressing online terrorist content through the ‘grammar’ of human rights law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-antoine-duval-human-rights-due-diligence-is-underpinned-by-a-fundamental-double-movement/">[Interview] Antoine Duval: 'Human rights due diligence is underpinned by a fundamental double movement'</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-andrii-nekoliak-the-politics-of-memory-laws-can-be-intense/">[Interview] Andrii Nekoliak: “The politics of memory laws can be intense”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-failures-to-stop-autonomous-weapon-systems-as-a-war-crime/">[New publication] Failures to stop autonomous weapon systems as a war crime?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-video-pursuing-accountability-for-the-crime-of-aggression-against-ukraine/">[New video] Pursuing accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/ukrainian-investigators-prosecutors-and-judges-to-visit-the-hague/">Ukrainian investigators, prosecutors and judges to visit The Hague</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-institute-and-vu-amsterdam-launch-research-into-international-task-force-for-crimes-against-journalists/">Asser Institute and VU Amsterdam launch research into international task force for crimes against journalists</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/publication-uneven-progress-in-environmental-protection-in-armed-conflicts/">[Publication] Uneven progress in environmental protection in armed conflicts</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/ukraine-fair-trials-key-to-lasting-justice/">[Ukraine] Fair trials key to lasting justice</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/press-release-quarterly-updates-the-foreign-terrorist-fighters-knowledge-hub/">[Press release] Quarterly Updates: The Foreign Terrorist Fighters Knowledge Hub</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-asser-institute-welcomes-groups-of-ukrainian-investigators-prosecutors-and-judges/">The Asser Institute welcomes groups of Ukrainian investigators, prosecutors and judges</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/registrations-open-spring-academy-on-artificial-intelligence-and-international-law/">[Registrations open] Spring academy on artificial intelligence and international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/christophe-paulussen-appointed-asser-institute-s-acting-academic-director-and-chairperson-of-the-board/">Christophe Paulussen appointed Asser Institute’s acting academic director and chairperson of the board</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-addressing-the-legal-questions-surrounding-eu-s-strategic-autonomy/">[New publication] Addressing the legal questions surrounding EU’s strategic autonomy</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-the-influence-of-ai-decision-support-systems-on-legal-assessments-in-military-targeting/">[New publication] The influence of AI decision-support systems on legal assessments in military targeting</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/un-special-rapporteur-on-right-to-housing-to-visit-the-asser-institute/">UN Special rapporteur on right to housing to visit the Asser Institute</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/the-year-in-review-rethinking-international-law-from-memory-laws-to-ai-and-war-crimes/">[The year in review] Rethinking international law: From Memory Laws to AI and war crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/goals-for-the-new-year-save-your-seat-for-our-2024-training-programmes/">Goals for the New Year? Save your seat for our 2024 training programmes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/a-new-management-team-for-the-asser-institute-in-2024/">A new management team for the Asser Institute in 2024</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-shelter-city-research-fellow-omar-piñango-we-are-on-a-path-to-justice/">[Interview] Shelter city research fellow Omar Piñango: “We are on a path to justice”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/landmark-decisions-by-the-court-of-justice-of-the-european-union-will-reshape-transnational-sports-governance/">Landmark decisions by the Court of Justice of the European Union will reshape transnational sports governance</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/is-mandatory-human-rights-and-environmental-due-diligence-a-paper-tiger-lessons-from-the-french-experience/">Is Mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence a Paper Tiger? Lessons from the French Experience</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/universities-across-the-mena-region-join-the-inter-university-programme-on-international-criminal-law-and-procedure/">Universities across the MENA region join the inter-university programme on international criminal law and procedure</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-the-legal-implications-of-the-eus-geopolitical-awakening/">[Call for papers] The legal implications of the EU's geopolitical awakening</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-nadia-perrone-we-are-at-a-pivotal-moment-in-defining-new-responsibilities-for-powerful-non-state-actors/">[Interview] Nadia Perrone: ‘We are at a pivotal moment in defining new responsibilities for powerful non-state actors’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/seminar-the-ljubljana-the-hague-convention-international-cooperation-in-fighting-impunity-for-international-crimes/">[Seminar] The Ljubljana – The Hague Convention: International cooperation in fighting impunity for international crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/annual-lecture-2024-connection-in-a-divided-world-rethinking-community-in-international-law-by-fleur-johns/">[Annual Lecture 2024] ‘Connection in a divided world: Rethinking ‘community’ in international law’ by Fleur Johns</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/registrations-open-international-law-summer-programme-by-war-crimes-research-office-and-the-asser-institute/">[Registrations open] International law summer programme by War Crimes Research Office and the Asser Institute</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-video-rule-of-law-cluster-in-the-hague/">[New video] Rule of law cluster in The Hague</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-podcast-asser-institute-launches-jurisdictions-international-law-podcast/">[New podcast] Asser Institute launches JurisDictions: International law podcast</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-jonathan-kwik-i-am-bridging-the-gap-between-the-technical-and-the-legal-domains/">[Interview] Jonathan Kwik: "I am bridging the gap between the technical and the legal domains"</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/shelter-city-call-for-applications-for-a-visiting-research-fellowship-at-the-asser-institute-for-human-rights-defenders/">[Shelter City] Call for applications for a visiting research fellowship at the Asser Institute for human rights defenders</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/in-memoriam-michiel-de-rooij-1962-2024/">In Memoriam: Michiel de Rooij (1962 -2024)</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/phd-researcher-jonathan-kwik-sparks-debate-on-ai-weapons-with-groundbreaking-dissertation/">PhD Researcher Jonathan Kwik sparks debate on AI weapons with groundbreaking dissertation</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/quarterly-update-the-foreign-terrorist-fighters-knowledge-hub/">[Quarterly update] The Foreign Terrorist Fighters Knowledge Hub</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-is-wearing-sunglasses-an-attack-obligations-under-international-humanitarian-law-for-anti-ai-countermeasures/">[New Publication] Is wearing sunglasses an attack? Obligations under international humanitarian law for anti-AI countermeasures</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/law-clinic-seeking-transparency-on-arms-exports/">[Law clinic] Seeking transparency on arms exports</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-dutch-court-halts-f-35-aircraft-deliveries-to-israel/">[Blog post] Dutch court halts F-35 aircraft deliveries to Israel</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-the-french-due-diligence-law-after-five-years-of-implementation-in-effectiveness-un-accountability-and-in-justice/">[Call for Papers] The French due diligence law after five years of implementation: (in)effectiveness, (un)accountability and (in)justice?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/ukrainian-members-of-parliament-and-experts-work-on-the-development-of-a-comprehensive-legal-framework-to-address-atrocity-crimes-in-ukraine/">Ukrainian members of parliament and experts work on the development of a comprehensive legal framework to address atrocity crimes in Ukraine</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-julia-mullert-the-foreign-fighter-phenomenon-has-some-unique-challenges-for-policymakers/">[Interview] Julia Mullert: "The foreign fighter phenomenon has some unique challenges for policymakers"</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/connecting-historical-memory-governance-in-latin-america-and-east-asia/">Connecting historical memory governance in Latin America and East Asia</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-course-using-satellite-imagery-as-evidence-in-international-judicial-proceedings/">[New course] Using satellite imagery as evidence in international judicial proceedings</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/mexico-s-cases-against-us-gun-industry-move-forward/">Mexico’s cases against U.S. gun industry move forward</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asil-2024-hague-closing-plenary-confronting-impunity-and-safeguarding-journalists-in-a-global-context/">[ASIL 2024] Hague closing plenary - Confronting impunity and safeguarding journalists in a global context</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-between-crisification-and-legal-resilience-change-and-stability-in-eu-external-relations-law/">[Call for papers] Between crisification and legal resilience: Change and stability in EU external relations law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-performance-or-explainability-a-law-of-war-perspective/">[New Publication] Performance or explainability? A law of war perspective</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/eu-scrutinises-arms-export-controls-as-focus-shifts-to-supply-chain-accountability/">EU scrutinises arms export controls as focus shifts to supply chain accountability</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/dont-miss-out-register-for-the-9th-annual-tmc-asser-lecture-today/">Don't miss out! Register for the 9th Annual T.M.C. Asser Lecture today</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-the-need-for-speed-the-cost-of-unregulated-ai-decision-support-systems-to-civilians/">[Blog post] The ‘need’ for speed – The cost of unregulated AI-Decision Support Systems to civilians</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-general-principles-in-eu-external-relations-law/">[Call for Papers] General principles in EU external relations law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/opiniojuris-interview-with-fleur-johns-on-rethinking-community-in-international-law/">[OpinioJuris] Interview with Fleur Johns on rethinking community in international law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-podcast-gaza-and-the-international-legal-community-south-africa-v-israel-at-the-icj/">[New podcast] Gaza and the international legal community (?): South Africa v Israel at the ICJ</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/scholarships-netherlands-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-funding-full-scholarships-for-upcoming-wmd-training-programme/">[Scholarships] Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs funding full scholarships for upcoming WMD training programme</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-un-rapporteur-michael-fakhri-on-food-systems-and-structural-violence/">[New publication] UN Rapporteur Michael Fakhri on food systems and structural violence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/video-fleur-johns-on-rethinking-community-in-international-law/">[Video] Fleur Johns on ‘Rethinking community in international law’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-training-ukrainian-judges-are-offered-specialised-training-on-adjudicating-international-crimes/">[New training] Ukrainian judges are offered specialised training on adjudicating international crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-counterterrorism-expert-christophe-paulussen-critisises-citizenship-stripping-for-terrorists-and-calls-for-evidence-based-approach/">[Interview] Counterterrorism expert Christophe Paulussen critisises citizenship stripping for terrorists and calls for evidence-based approach</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/analysis-asser-institute-researcher-león-castellanos-jankiewicz-on-mexico-s-request-to-intervene-in-the-case-against-israel-for-alleged-genocide-in-gaza/">[Analysis] Asser Institute researcher León Castellanos-Jankiewicz on Mexico’s request to intervene in the case against Israel for alleged genocide in Gaza</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-video-asil-hague-closing-panel-on-confronting-impunity-and-safeguarding-journalists/">[New video] ASIL Hague Closing Panel on confronting impunity and safeguarding journalists</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-peace-justice-and-europe-in-the-age-of-geopolitics-phd-workshop-series/">[Call for Papers] Peace, Justice and Europe in the Age of Geopolitics – PhD Workshop Series</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/honouring-a-champion-scl-lecture-series-rebranded-in-honour-of-benjamin-ferencz/">[Honouring a champion] SCL lecture series rebranded in honour of Benjamin Ferencz</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-ebors-latest-issue-insights-into-european-financial-regulation/">[New publication] EBOR's latest issue: Insights into European financial regulation</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/from-classrooms-to-community-hague-students-bridge-peace-justice-disconnect/">From classrooms to community: Hague students bridge peace & justice disconnect</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-institute-panel-explores-ecocide-at-the-third-international-conference-on-environmental-peacebuilding/">Asser Institute panel explores ecocide at the Third International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/update-new-states-added-to-the-foreign-terrorist-fighters-knowledge-hub/">[Update] New states added to The Foreign Terrorist Fighters Knowledge Hub</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-training-to-boost-capacity-in-tackling-international-crimes/">New training to boost capacity in tackling international crimes</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-antoine-duval-we-have-the-goal-to-steer-the-field-of-transnational-sports-law-to-think-critically-about-its-eurocentricity/">[Interview] Antoine Duval: ‘We have the goal to steer the field of transnational sports law to think critically about its Eurocentricity’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/icl-tcl-training-empowering-national-judges-and-prosecutors-from-west-africa/">[ICL-TCL training] Empowering national judges and prosecutors from West Africa</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-balancing-military-and-humanitarian-interests-scaling-the-scope-of-autonomous-weapon-attacks/">[New publication] Balancing military and humanitarian interests: Scaling the scope of autonomous weapon attacks</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-hjrls-latest-issue-special-focus-on-the-catalan-secessionist-process/">[New publication] HJRL's latest issue: Special focus on the Catalan secessionist process</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-ai-based-targeting-in-gaza-asser-researcher-klonowska-refines-the-debate-on-military-ai/">[Blog post] AI-based targeting in Gaza: Asser researcher Klonowska refines the debate on military AI</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/forthcoming-publication-asser-institute-develops-new-handbook-to-strengthen-ukraines-justice-system/">[Forthcoming publication] Asser Institute develops new handbook to strengthen Ukraine's justice system</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-project-asser-institute-and-uva-launch-project-on-digital-infrastructures-of-sustainability-regulation-digichain/">[New project] Asser Institute and UvA launch project on digital infrastructures of sustainability regulation (DigiChain)</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/shelter-city-2025-call-for-applications-for-asser-institute-visiting-research-fellowship/">[Shelter City 2025] Call for applications for Asser Institute visiting research fellowship</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-ulad-belavusau-on-jewish-history-constitutional-law-citizenship-and-the-role-of-the-never-again-narrative/">[New blog post] Ulad Belavusau on Jewish history, constitutional law, citizenship and the role of the ‘never again’ narrative</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/catch-up-on-your-legal-summer-reading-with-our-high-quality-journals/">Catch up on your legal summer reading with our high-quality journals</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/enrol-now-unleash-your-potential-master-the-essentials-of-non-proliferation-in-our-expert-led-training-programme/">[Enrol now] Unleash your potential: master the essentials of non-proliferation in our expert-led training programme</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-private-international-law-and-the-making-of-human-rights/">[New publication] Private international law and the making of human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-new-managing-director-kasper-vrolijk-many-people-i-speak-with-are-surprised-to-learn-we-accomplish-so-much-with-such-a-relatively-small-team/">[Interview] New managing director Kasper Vrolijk: “Many people I speak with are surprised to learn we accomplish so much with such a relatively small team”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/just-peace-open-day-voices-from-gaza-art-by-children-and-young-adults-living-in-conflict/">[Just Peace Open Day] 'Voices from Gaza' - Art by children and young adults living in conflict</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/public-panel-unpacking-explainability-in-military-artificial-intelligence/">[Public panel] Unpacking explainability in military artificial intelligence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/un-human-rights-council-italy-urged-to-increase-transparency-and-accountability-for-arms-exports-in-new-report/">[UN Human Rights Council] Italy urged to increase transparency and accountability for arms exports in new report</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/final-call-just-peace-open-day-2024-voices-from-gaza-exhibition-programme-out-now/">[Final call] Just Peace Open Day 2024: ‘Voices from Gaza’ exhibition programme out now</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/policy-brief-the-challenges-of-transitional-justice-in-sri-lanka/">[Policy brief] The challenges of transitional justice in Sri Lanka</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-is-ukraine-finally-breaking-its-24-year-international-criminal-court-commitment-phobia/">[New blog post] Is Ukraine finally breaking its 24-year International Criminal Court commitment phobia?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/asser-institute-seeks-new-academic-director/">Asser Institute seeks new academic director</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/international-crimes-database-new-cases-on-terrorism-sexual-violence-and-cultural-heritage/">[International Crimes Database] New cases on terrorism, sexual violence, and cultural heritage</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-who-are-humans-in-military-artificial-intelligence/">[Call for papers] Who are ‘humans’ in military artificial intelligence?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-the-private-is-political-león-castellanos-jankiewicz-on-human-rights-histories/">[Interview] The private is political: León Castellanos-Jankiewicz on human rights histories</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/foreign-terrorist-fighters-knowledge-hub-new-developments-in-thirteen-states/">[Foreign Terrorist Fighters Knowledge Hub] New developments in thirteen states</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/call-for-papers-the-manifold-forms-of-contemporary-international-legal-scholarship/">[Call for papers] The manifold forms of contemporary international legal scholarship</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-jonathan-kwik-discusses-the-use-of-autonomous-weapon-technologies/">[New publication] Jonathan Kwik discusses the use of autonomous weapon technologies</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-blog-post-european-union-support-to-ukraine-through-windfall-profits/">[New blog post] European Union support to Ukraine through windfall profits</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/expert-drafting-rules-of-engagement-for-military-artificial-intelligence/">[Expert drafting] Rules of engagement for military artificial intelligence</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/human-rights-in-the-european-union-can-due-diligence-rescue-frontex/">[Human rights in the European Union] Can due diligence rescue Frontex?</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-counter-terrorism-expert-rumyana-van-ark-all-children-should-be-considered-as-vulnerable/">[Interview] Counter-terrorism expert Rumyana van Ark: ‘All children should be considered as vulnerable’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/león-castellanos-jankiewicz-on-dutch-arms-exports-to-israel-all-weapons-are-used-to-gain-military-advantage-and-all-can-be-misused/">León Castellanos-Jankiewicz on Dutch arms exports to Israel: ‘All weapons are used to gain military advantage, and all can be misused’</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-ot-van-daalen-explores-the-intersection-of-information-security-and-human-rights/">[New publication] Ot van Daalen explores the intersection of information security and human rights</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/interview-lens-on-law-sometimes-i-get-hyper-focused-and-end-up-talking-about-drones-with-my-mom-or-even-during-a-date/">[Interview] Lens on law: “Sometimes I get hyper-focused and end up talking about drones with my mom or even during a date”</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/blog-post-icc-warrants-for-netanyahu-and-gallant-could-be-a-watershed-moment-for-ai-accountability-in-warfare/">[Blog post] ICC warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant could be a watershed moment for AI accountability in warfare</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-international-investigative-body-proposed-to-combat-impunity-for-journalist-killings/">[New publication] International investigative body proposed to combat impunity for journalist killings</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/nearly-340-students-for-14th-edition-of-free-inter-university-programme-on-international-criminal-law/">Nearly 340 students for 14th edition of free inter-university programme on international criminal law</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-publication-a-global-perspective-on-animal-law-and-welfare/">[New publication] A global perspective on animal law and welfare</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/towards-a-more-just-future-transitional-justice-course-for-ukrainian-civil-servants/">Towards a more just future: Transitional justice course for Ukrainian civil servants</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-podcast-episode-the-rules-of-modern-warfare-and-ancient-traditions/">[New podcast episode] The rules of modern warfare and ancient traditions</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-year-s-academic-resolutions-achieve-them-with-our-training-programmes-in-2025/">New Year’s academic resolutions? 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Asser Scholarship Programme</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </aside>  <section class="main-content-news col-sm-7"> <article> <h1>[Interview] Ernst Hirsch Ballin: ‘The ability to see ‘us in them’ is decisive for the whole issue of migration’</h1> <span class="text-muted detail-date">Published 16 September 2021</span> <br /><span class="detail-date">By Narin Idriz & Pascal Messer</span> <br /> <br /> <figure class="news-item-image-container"> <img src="/media/795164/ernst1033776-copy.jpg?center=0.43256997455470736,0.52671755725190839&mode=crop&width=387&height=190&rnd=132762637040000000" /> <figcaption class="picture-caption"><p>@Hilko Visser</p></figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>He has been a state councillor, a politician, the longest serving minister of Justice in the Netherlands since the early 19<sup>th</sup> century, president of the T.M.C. Asser Institute, but above all, he is a legal scholar and a jurist. Later this month, Ernst Hirsch Ballin will say farewell as a professor of Human Rights Law at the UvA. His farewell seminar at the Asser Institute on Thursday September 16, will focus on Global Migration, a topic close to his heart. We interviewed him prior to the seminar. Ernst Hirsch Ballin: “Sadly, there is the widespread misconception that you can take wind out of the sails of populist parties by not speaking out clearly against their ideas”. </strong></p> <p>When we speak with him, over a Zoom call, Ernst Hirsch Ballin looks relaxed. At the wall behind him, we see a 1930’s litho by French Belle Epoque caricaturist Adrien Barrère, called ‘Passing the Bar’. Underneath it, a full bookcase with neatly arranged stashes of colourful books and a small bottle with fragrance sticks. He has not slept well, he says. Later in the conversation, he will hint at having sleepless nights over the crisis in Afghanistan, an ‘inconceivable tragedy’.<br />Ernst Hirsch Ballin has extensively published and engaged in academic and public debates in the field of migration. He has written on migration law and policy, on the human rights of asylum seekers and migrants, and on issues of civic integration and citizenship. In short: he has explored issues covering the whole chain of migration, culminating in novel ideas on migrants’ obtaining of citizenship.<br />But his engagement was much more than an academic endeavour. As a Minister of Justice, Ernst Hirsch Ballin has contributed to the shaping and implementing of both Dutch and EU policies on asylum and migration. The topic has never left him. After his term of office, he continued writing and speaking about it – always with human rights law as an anchor point.</p> <p><strong>You have worked on the theme of asylum and migration, both as an academic and as a Minister of Justice. How has the responsibility of managing the migration and asylum policy of a country affected the way you see these issues?<br /></strong>“It certainly has affected me, profoundly. It has contributed to my understanding of migration as a topic of legal development, and of legal research, of course, as well. Maybe I should say something about my own background. I am the son of a refugee. My father came to the Netherlands as a refugee from Nazi Germany, after having survived the winter in the concentration camp Buchenwald in 1938-39. He was deported before the extermination programme started, but he suffered a lot there, and it damaged his health. At the time, the policy of the Nazis was to pressure the Jewish German nationals – who were already reduced in their citizenship – to leave the country, forcing them to leave behind most of what they possessed.<br />Back then, there were many people in the Netherlands who said: ‘We can't take in too many of ‘these people’, and so on. But my father was among the few Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany that were admitted. And, with the help of some good people, he managed to survive the Nazi occupation. One of these good people was a young Roman Catholic woman from Amsterdam, with whom he would marry after the war. And that is why I am here today (laughs).<br />I always thought that I grew up in Amsterdam in a very protective environment. And of course, my parents did protect me. With hindsight, however, it was not a protective environment as such. Because of my father’s experiences, we, as a family, always had this sense of being in danger. Being in danger <em>as</em> <em>humans</em>, just like all other people have felt who went through an ordeal like Buchenwald. I now realise that this sense of danger was always present throughout my youth in Amsterdam, every day, but without me, young as I was, being able to fully grasp it yet. <span>I think my background has given me an awareness that all these essentialist criteria that we use for distinguishing between human beings, – criteria like ‘origin’ or ‘ethnicity’, are just racist concepts that have no scientific validation, whatsoever.</span></p> <blockquote>I think my background has given me an awareness that all these essentialist criteria that we use for distinguishing between human beings, – criteria like ‘origin’ or ‘ethnicity’, are just racist concepts that have no scientific validation, whatsoever.</blockquote> <p>However, they continue to be a ground for discrimination. We have racism without races. Ethnicity, languages, nationality, these are all man-made lenses of distinction, like borders between states. That does not mean that states are superfluous; we need states as the commonwealths in which we arrange things with each other, under the law. But we must realise that every border has another side.</p> <p>I think that this basic understanding, that I’m now able to frame by using the words ‘Every border has another side’, has been with me since my youth. And it has taught me something very profound about humanity as such. In 1968, when I was seventeen years old, we had to write a paper for our final examination at the Amsterdams Lyceum. The subject that I chose was ‘the history of human rights’, in Dutch: ‘<em>de geschiedenis van de mensenrechten</em>’. I think this was not by accident.</p> <p>What I’ve learned in the 8 ½ years of being a Minister of Justice is, in the first place, how important it is to see both the necessity of bringing order in processes around migration, but also to not get caught up in the prejudices of the substantiation of borders. With the word borders, I mean not only state borders, but also language, nationality, and other borders. That is why we framed our policy as being ‘strict but humane’.</p> <p>I experienced how difficult it is to always keep in mind the relativity of man-made distinctions between human beings, and I especially learned how much effort and convincing power is required to convey this message to those people – and there are many of them – who do not have the privilege of having had such experiences themselves. Although it does not make life easier, and it is something that you have to deal with, I now call it a privilege, that I have been able to learn the relativity of these artificial distinctions between human beings. I think that as a Minister, that is what I tried to learn and put into practice, and which also helped me to better understand the subject of migration and migration policy.”</p> <p><strong>With hindsight and years of additional experience, do you have regrets about your political career? Is there anything that you would have done differently as a Minister?</strong></p> <p>Ernst Hirsch Ballin’s eyes show a mischievous glint when he retorts: “How many hours do we have for this conversation?!” He laughs before he folds his arms before his chest and continues, serious again. “As far as the main lines of what I did in this capacity, I have no reason for regret. I know what my standards were, and I have no reason to regret these. However, something that I do regret, is that I had to, of course, agree to a lot of compromises during my political tenures. In my view, compromises are acceptable if they are a step in the right direction, and not if they are in the wrong direction. However, during my third and last period as Minister of Justice, the situation became more complicated in this field.</p> <p>Nebahat Albayrak, who was Deputy Minister of Justice at the time, and I were convinced and determined to continue with our migration policy, which was strict and humane. We made a lot of progress. We concluded important directives and regulations in this field in the Council of the European Union, which was an important part of our work. I was happy and contented with having the freedom to continue with these policies – so far, so good – but the support of colleagues for these and other fields of policy was already waning at that time.</p> <p>With hindsight, I see that we underestimated how strong the forces were that started to emerge in Dutch politics from the right, including the far right and the populist far right, and which worked in the opposite direction. We did what we thought that we had to do, but some of the people with whom we had to work were much more inclined than we were to make compromises with the populist far right, with respect to migrants and strangers.</p> <p>I now think that I should have said in a more compelling way: ‘I need your full support’. I should perhaps have exerted more pressure on my colleagues to not only tolerate our strict but humane policy, but to also give the clear message: ‘We will not accept the growing animosity towards migration and migrants’. That is one thing that comes to mind. </p> <p>What I also regret, but I do not think that we could have done any better, is the incompleteness of the Common European Asylum System. The adoption of the directives that we agreed upon in the EU Council of Ministers, was an important part of our work – for the Deputy Minister, myself and for the civil servants that accompanied us in these endeavours.</p> <p>We have adopted the directive on the <em>formal </em>aspects of the asylum procedure and, meanwhile, about the quality of the judicial function. But within the EU, we were unable to agree on how people would be received as refugees or other migrants in the member states. This was left to the discretion of the member states.</p> <p>Now we see enormous differences in the quality of the reception facilities, and of the integration into society of asylum seekers. Think of Greece, for instance, and the slightly better Italy on the one hand, and, on the other hand, EU countries with better or at least acceptable quality facilities like the Netherlands. I think Germany has done an admirable job during the so-called ‘migration crisis’ in 2015, with accepting many more – both relatively and absolutely – migrants than other European member states.<br />Shared, comparable standards with respect to the treatment, temporary housing and integration of refugees into our society, is a cornerstone of an effective European asylum system that we are still missing. I am not blaming myself; shared standards were impossible to achieve back then, as much as they are today, but still, it is something that we were not able to accomplish.”</p> <blockquote><span>"Too many people do not dare to speak out, because they are afraid to lose voters to the populist parties"</span></blockquote> <p><strong>While there seems to be little public support for accepting big numbers of migrants in the Netherlands, last year we did see a big coalition of support from civil society and more than half of all Dutch municipalities for bringing over five hundred children from the overcrowded Greek refugee camps. The Dutch government, however, refused to do that and decided to send financial support instead. How do you see and interpret the Dutch Government’s stance?</strong></p> <p>“Well, there are two aspects at play here. I think there is a lack of clarity and a lack of courage to speak out clearly about political principles, which has pervaded the political system in the Netherlands, and other countries as well.</p> <p>I was among those who have not been frightened to speak out against the populists. But too many people nevertheless do not dare to speak out, because they are afraid to lose voters to the populist parties. That is, I think, an important explanation why the current government coalition did not dare to assist these children, - notwithstanding the fact that, indeed, there was a lot of public support for assisting and resettling minors from the Greek islands. </p> <p>I think we could also partly see this decision as political hard play within the Dutch government coalition itself. The largest party within the coalition, the VVD (a conservative-liberal party - ed), in particular, is always afraid to lose voters to the far right. This fear spills over into other political parties, including parts of the Christian Democratic political party, (Christen Democratisch Appèl, CDA, ed), of which I am a member. Support for Greece, upon which they agreed, is certainly a good thing, but not enough.</p> <blockquote>"Sadly, there is the widespread misconception that you can take wind out of the sails of the populist parties by not speaking out clearly against their ideas."</blockquote> <p>Sadly, there is the widespread misconception that you can take wind out of the sails of the populist parties by not speaking out clearly against their ideas. I think it is the other way around. By more or less legitimising what the populist parties are saying, you are playing into their hands. Meanwhile, the political discourse in the Netherlands has been reframed, not only by populist parties, but also by the people who are trying to accommodate part of the populist’s views into their own dealings.<br />And this is not something happening amongst politicians only. There are also people with an academic education who present themselves as ‘having a nuanced view’ on these subjects and who ‘understand’ the misgivings with respect to them. Of course, we have to understand, and I want to stress this, that part of this understanding is legitimate; there are people in the Netherlands who are vulnerable and who are living in a precarious situation and cannot find affordable houses. These are serious problems. But it is not justified to put a blame for these problems on migrants and migration. We have to be serious about <em>both</em> issues, and we should not exchange one issue for the other.”</p> <p><strong>Recently, the decision of Dutch State Secretary Ankie Broekers-Knol to no longer automatically reunite under-age asylum children with their parents (meanwhile revised) was trending. These children temporarily live with extended family in the Netherlands, awaiting to be reunited with their parents. What do you think about this decision?<br /></strong>“Obviously the most important aspect of human rights, as we understand them today, is what they mean for children and for future generations. Recent case law on climate issues rightly addressed this. We should not only look at our own situation – that of the people who are voting and living right now – but we should also look into the consequences for the minors of today – those who do not have voting rights yet – and for future generations. That was a core consideration in a decision delivered in April by the German constitutional court, and I think that is correct.<br />Also under the UN Convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC), there is the obligation to take foremost into account the interests of children. So this, in the first place, should have been a reason not to apply this change in policy.</p> <p>I am afraid that this decision is much more of a so-called ‘solution’ for a political problem, rather than a solution for a substantive problem. It is another phase of the problem of the lack of determination to speak out against the demands of the right-wing populists, and the tendency to give in just a little bit with the intention to, well, prevent the populists from getting more votes.<br />As I said before, I don't think that this is working. We could see the same thing happening, when a right wing Dutch Member of Parliament recently said, in a debate about the evacuation of Afghan people who worked for the Netherlands military in Afghanistan, that ‘baking an egg for the Netherlands’ should not be a reason to give these people protection here. From this person’s point of view, his statement probably resounded very well in the news media. But you can imagine what feelings one can evoke, using such a phrase in a parliamentary debate. The response should have been: “The question is not whether <em>you </em>say that baking an egg is not that important, the question is whether the <em>Taliban</em> says that it is important to have baked eggs for Dutch military personnel”.</p> <blockquote><span>"It is important to see migration questions from two sides. Every border has another side. There is, of course, the viewpoint of the welcoming country. But there is also the viewpoint of the others, and the absence or presence of alternatives for them."</span></blockquote> <p>I must emphasize, not only in respect to this question, but also to the whole issue that we're discussing here: it is important to see migration questions from two sides. Every border has another side. There is, of course, the viewpoint of the welcoming country. But there is also the viewpoint of the others, and the absence or presence of alternatives for them. The ability to see ‘us in them’ is decisive for the whole issue of migration, - our own and everyone else’s ability to see ‘us’ in ‘them’.”</p> <p><strong>Just two weeks prior to the withdrawal of the American troops, the Netherlands, together with a few other European countries, lobbied in Brussels, to make it possible to return Afghan citizens to Afghanistan. There is an informal agreement on this between the EU and Afghanistan. The crisis in Kabul is unfolding right before our eyes, in real time, while in the past, we usually learned about atrocities like this long after they happened. Many people experience an immense feeling of frustration, of helplessness, disappointment. What was your experience when you were watching this? Are we so helpless?<br /></strong>“I cannot keep it out of my mind. What unfolds in Afghanistan is very much on my mind, day and night so to say, and sometimes even literally. It is such an inconceivable tragedy. Not only the chaotic ending of the Western military and development presence in Afghanistan, but also the helplessness of the people who are struggling to arrive at the airport. I am in touch with a colleague of mine at the University of Amsterdam, and his neighbour is trying to get his wife and children out of the country. For many days, they have been struggling now to get to the airport in Kabul. They are on the list for evacuation to the Netherlands, but they have to reach the airport first, and that is hardly possible under these circumstances.<br />During my last term as Minister of Justice, I visited the Dutch military and development presence in Uruzgan. So I have a vivid image of the country, and of how people worked there and did their best, and so on. Already back then, many people knew how difficult, hardly possible it is to achieve better results in a deeply tribal society like Afghanistan. In that sense, Afghanistan is not comparable to societies in the Middle East, which have their ethnic differences, but not the deep tribalisation that is present in Afghanistan, and also partly across the border with Pakistan. This tribalisation partly explains why it was so inconceivably difficult to achieve better results. We now see though, how policymakers in the West profoundly misunderstood the situation, at least until recently. I am puzzled at how that could happen. But I do not have the answer to that question.”</p> <p><strong>I was discussing the developments in Kabul with a guy selling vegetables on the market in Turkey, and he said, exasperated, “But how can this happen?! There is something called human rights!” People are invoking human rights, and yet, at the time that people are most vulnerable, it seems like…<br /></strong>“….. Yes indeed, like there is an inability to see human rights as what they are supposed to be… It is clear, if you hear the Dutch expression ‘<em>rechten van de mens’</em>, or the German word ‘<em>Menschenrechte’,</em> or the French expression ‘<em>Droits de l’homme’, </em>that it is the right of humans as such. It means that in the very understanding, the very idea of <em>mensenrechten</em> or <em>droits de l’homme</em> is the right of humans as humans.</p> <p>The notion, the idea of human rights or <em>rechten van de mens</em> or <em>droits de l’homme</em> as such, is like a mirror for our legal development. It always questions: “Do you have any acceptable reason for making a distinction between humans?” That is, I think, the essence of human rights, of <em>rechten van de</em> <em>mens</em>. That is also the reason why human rights are not limited to certain areas of law and some people.</p> <blockquote><span>"Many jurists appear to believe human rights are a separate branch of law next to other branches of law. But it is not. It is about </span><em>law</em><span><span> </span>as such, human rights are about law as such."</span></blockquote> <p>Many jurists appear to believe human rights are a separate branch of law next to other branches of law. But it is not. It is about <em>law</em> as such, human rights are about law as such.<br />The distinctions that we have, and that we need to have in all the various branches of law - be it labour law or civil law or family law or criminal law - or whatever it is which applies distinctions between individuals, between groups of individuals, - these distinctions have to be justified. And if they are not justifiable, then they have to be confronted with the very idea of the rights of humans as such.”</p> <p><strong>Distinctions should not exist if there is no justification for them. However, we see - not just in Western societies but in any country with big numbers of refugees - less and less empathy with people escaping wars and poverty. What do you think is at the source of this lack of empathy and solidarity with others?<br /></strong>“Well, this is the most important, but also the most profoundly difficult question to answer. In the diary that she wrote in the <em>Achterhuis</em> (the Secret Annex – ed) in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, Anne Frank wrote: “The time will when we will be viewed as humans and not just as Jews.”<br />In his speech for the Dutch May 4 commemoration of the victims of war in 2020, Dutch author Arnon Grunberg rightly said that words are important, and that words are relevant. Grunberg recently published a book with the title ‘Als ze het over Marokkanen hebben’, and we, as readers will immediately fill in the rest of the sentence, ‘dan hebben ze het over mij…’ - which would translate as ‘When they are talking about Moroccans… they are talking about me’. Grunberg has the ability to see himself in the others. This ability to see ourselves in others is something that I think should be part of our educational efforts.<br />Earlier, I referred to the experience of my own family. There are other families and other people from other nations who have other experiences. All these experiences are relevant for our understanding and our ability to see ourselves in others, and this experience is important for being able to question the distinctions between humans.</p> <blockquote><span>"It is present in all kinds of racism to make distinctions between humans. And it appears to be easier to make these distinctions if you believe that there are features you can see."</span></blockquote> <p>It is present in all kinds of racism to make distinctions between humans. And it appears to be easier to make these distinctions if you believe that there are features you can see. Today, if you cannot see it, you apply insignia or documents, or something else, to create distinctions between people, - without good reason. So one of the things that we have to go into more profoundly, and that was also one of the things that I discovered step-by-step, are those distinctions that on the surface seem acceptable, but that, if you look closer into them, are really not justifiable distinctions; distinctions in position, in equipment, and in entitlements between people.<br />In his book ‘<em>Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation</em>’, Amartya Sen explained that famines are not the result of a shortage of food, but of inequalities built into mechanisms for distributing food. Famines stem from entitlement systems, and the different availability of entitlements to food. Access to food rights, is often deeply rooted in societal structures, and it depends on distinctions according to ethnicity, gender or nationality, or other man-made distinctions that we apply to people. I think that we have to apply a critical approach to legal systems – the Dutch and other European legal systems – to uncover the hidden distinctions. They come to the surface, sometimes in the form of economic inequality, but more often in the form of things that people try to justify as ‘facts of life’, but that are, as a matter of fact, not facts of life, but the result of previous decisions.”</p> <p><strong>At the EU level, there is a stalemate on migration issues. Member states are only able to agree on the external dimension of the EU side of migration policy but not on the internal issues such as the distribution of asylum seekers among the member states. What do you think will be the long-term consequences of these externalisation policies of the EU and, in general, the rich countries of the North. As long as they are able to shift the burden to poorer countries in conflict regions, is there a realistic chance of finding a fair burden-sharing solution at the global level?<br /></strong>“This is a two-sided problem. On the side of the European Union, we have a very serious problem of coherence, more specifically, of value coherence. We have seen that some member states have actually endorsed some sort of ‘mental exit’ from the European Union, which is even worse than the Brexit. On the domestic side of the European member states, there is a lack of willingness of accepting responsibilities. Some years ago, the Advisory Council of International Affairs gave the recommendation to confront these member states with financial consequences.</p> <blockquote><span>"Obviously, this lack of willingness stems from the political situation within those member states, where it has become more and more difficult for politicians, who are weak at the knees, to stand up against populist sentiments."</span></blockquote> <p>Obviously, this lack of willingness stems from the political situation within those member states, where it has become more and more difficult for politicians, who are weak at the knees, to stand up against populist sentiments. These politicians are not inclined to pay the price for standing up. If you say that you understand the housing shortage, you will have to put in money to solve the issue. So, the reluctance to deal with migration issues may also be a ‘cheap solution’: one simply puts the blame on the others.<br />On the other side, we have the even more serious problem of the refugee camps. What does it mean for people to be deported to, or be kept into refugee camps within a neighbouring country? There is no reason to think or say that it is better for refugees to remain ‘within the region’ than being in Europe.<br />Here, in the West, we seem to have a rather extended understanding of ‘the region’ as a concept. In the Netherlands, for instance, we think that the city of Utrecht is situated in a ‘different region’ than the city of The Hague, while these cities are 70 kilometres apart. In the international discourse, we think that, for instance, Turkey is in the same region as Somalia, - which is absurd, of course. It is egregious, and a very ‘white’ understanding of ‘the region’. So in that sense, we can all see that it is not an advantage for anyone to be kept ‘in the region’.</p> <p>When I was Minister of Justice, I made an impressive visit to one of these city-sized refugee camps of the UNHCR in Kakuma, Kenya. There I saw how an enormous number of people, I think it was approaching the 200,000 at the time, was living in this huge sea of barracks and tents. Indeed, the people in these refugee camps are safe. They are no longer being tortured. Healthcare and education are certainly better than in their countries of origin. So far, so good. But what these people, who are being kept there for years, do <em>not</em> have - and most of them never will - is the possibility to make plans for their future, for life projects for themselves and for their children. That is the inhumanity of keeping people in a refugee camp, endlessly, in another part of the world.<br />This is something that should be pronounced more clearly in the debate in the Netherlands. If you really want to protect refugees, you should not have this limited sense of safety, where you merely create a situation in which refugees are not being tortured or bombarded. You should think about human security as well. You should give these people a chance to live with their children, with the next generation.” </p> <p><strong>We, as EU citizens, with our passports, can travel all over the world. We can live and work not only within the Union, but in other countries as well, as the EU has agreements with third states. People from the Global South cannot travel freely. Some scholars call this division the ‘bifurcation of law’ and even speak of ‘global apartheid’ when it comes to the free movement rules that apply to the citizens of the North versus those of the South. Do you find this trend worrying or do you think it is inevitable given the growing gap of wealth between the North and the South? <br /></strong>“This is certainly a correct description of realities: the limited ability to migrate, or move across borders for people that need visas or proof that they will leave the country once they temporarily enter it, compared to those people with ‘high quality’ passports who can travel freely. There are serious differences, but we cannot solve the underlying differences through legal methods. There is simply a huge gap in resources between the global North and the global South.</p> <p>This is also why the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is a huge task. You cannot reduce the negative consequences of socio-economic realities for people from the global South, with a simple measure, a treaty, or a declaration of the United Nations. This is a long process of diminishing the differences in standards of living, and of applying new forms of exchange between various parts of the world.<br />During my last term in the Ministry of Justice, we tried to make a step in the right direction, by developing new forms of exchange. In Africa, borders are man-made, they were created by the European powers of the 19th century. For the largest part of Africa, migration is a natural condition of living. Throughout life, you temporarily have to move to a different country to earn money, or to get food, or to acquire resources for your family at home.</p> <p>In this part of the world, however, we too often view migration as a ‘once-in-your-life’ experience, whereby you move from one country to another, and then you give up everything that connects you with the past, with the country you come from. That is also the reason why so many people here do not understand the importance of having dual citizenship. It is <em>natural</em> for people to maintain links, family bonds, and feelings for their country of origin. And when you have two citizenships, one citizenship will be active within a certain period of your life, while the other is not.</p> <blockquote><span>"It is one of our tasks as lawyers to recognise the relation between the </span><em>different anthropological understandings</em><span><span> </span>of what it means to be human, and the way in which we organise the law."</span></blockquote> <p>It is one of our tasks as lawyers to recognise the relation between the <em>different anthropological understandings</em> of what it means to be human, and the way in which we organise the law. Mind the plural here: different cultural and historical development<strong>s</strong>.<br />In my book ‘De stille revolutie van 1917’, I point to a work of a German sociologist, Gunter Weidenhaus, who describes different understandings of human biographies - the linear understanding of a biography that we often have, in which people stay in the same place, or maybe once in their lifetime change from one place to another.</p> <p>Migration is not only what many people in the Netherlands think that migration is; a one-directional movement, in which you will never get back to where you came from, in which you forget the place where you came from, stop speaking its language, and learn to eat <em>haring</em> and <em>boerenkool (herring and kale, ed)</em>. It is of course possible that some people try to reinvent themselves, but it is not human to compel people to think about themselves and their future in this way.</p> <p>There is also a more networked understanding of human biographies, and circular migration, in which people temporarily move between countries, or between regions within a country for work, fits very well in this understanding.</p> <p>So, in 2009, we decided to start an experiment with circular migration as a new possibility of dealing with borders and different places of working and living. However, a year later, in 2010, the next government was formed supported by the PVV (a nationalist, right wing populist party - ed). You can imagine the waning enthusiasm for the experiment. With a lack of political support, the circular migration experiment as one of the possibilities for future regulation policies, was concluded, unfortunately, without having the chance to learn from it.</p> <blockquote><span>"There is a need for legal migration channels that permit temporary labour migration."</span></blockquote> <p>In some recent publications, I have advocated for expanding our legal creativity and a better understanding of the multi-faceted realities of a world on the move. There is a need for legal migration channels that permit temporary labour migration. Next to asylum migration one could think of the introduction of new legal instruments, such as a contractual form of migration, which would be suitable not only for circular migration, but also for other forms of migration. I think these ideas are relevant and important, and we should include them in the application and understanding of what we mean by bringing truth to international relations.”</p> <p><strong>To conclude then, on a lighter note. “You are saying farewell to the Asser Institute and the University of Amsterdam, and you will also leave Tilburg University later this year. Looking back on your time at Asser, what did you enjoy most about the Institute and what will you miss the most?”</strong></p> <p>“The openness. The researchers and other staff at the Institute are a very diverse group, which is good and a value in itself. A diverse group has some built-in stimulus for creativity. Legal, societal, and political creativity. Compared to many other places in which I’ve seen people doing research on international and European law, this diverse group has developed a much greater capability to come up with unusual questions and unusual approaches for finding an answer, or an intermediate answer.</p> <p>Not so long ago, for instance, and this is still true in many places for international research, it would be inconceivable that the ‘city’ would become a subject of research at a research centre for international and European law. The same with respect to the topic of Memory laws, and of intermediate forms of regulation. Back when I was a student, it was either ‘it's law’ or ‘it is not law, and merely a policy’.</p> <p>I think the richness of the diversity of humankind, including the possibility to conceive ideas that are new, that are yet to be discovered and developed, is unlimited. This doesn't mean that we can be and conceive all things at the same time, we are not gods. But we have, as Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas have accentuated in their works on the soul - the <em>anima</em> - the capacity to conceive, in some sense, everything. And at the Asser Institute, I have noticed this human capacity of unlimited creativity in dealing with European and international law, - an unlimited creativity that nevertheless has accepted to be disciplined, in the orderly form of publications and courses.”</p> <br /> </article>  <header class="main-content-header"> <div class="buttonContainer main-content-header-buttons hidden-xs"> <div class="main-content-header-button icon icon--printer-icon btnPrint" alt="Print this page"></div> </div> </header> <footer class="main-content-footer"> <h3 class="main-content-footer-title">Share this page:</h3> <ul class="main-content-sm-buttons"> <li class="main-content-sm-button"> <a href="https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asser.nl%2Fabout-the-asser-institute%2Fnews%2Finterview-ernst-hirsch-ballin-the-ability-to-see-us-in-them-is-decisive-for-the-whole-issue-of-migration%2F" title="Bluesky" target="_blank"> <img src="/content/images/icon/bluesky_icon.png" alt="Bluesky" title="Bluesky" style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </a> </li> <li class="main-content-sm-button"> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asser.nl%2Fabout-the-asser-institute%2Fnews%2Finterview-ernst-hirsch-ballin-the-ability-to-see-us-in-them-is-decisive-for-the-whole-issue-of-migration%2F" title="Facebook" target="_blank"> <img src="/content/images/facebook_icon.png" alt="Facebook" title="Facebook" style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </a> </li> <li class="main-content-sm-button"> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asser.nl%2Fabout-the-asser-institute%2Fnews%2Finterview-ernst-hirsch-ballin-the-ability-to-see-us-in-them-is-decisive-for-the-whole-issue-of-migration%2F" title="LinkedIn" target="_blank"> <img src="/content/images/linkedin_icon.png" alt="LinkedIn" title="LinkedIn" style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </a> </li> <li class="main-content-sm-button"> <a href="mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asser.nl%2Fabout-the-asser-institute%2Fnews%2Finterview-ernst-hirsch-ballin-the-ability-to-see-us-in-them-is-decisive-for-the-whole-issue-of-migration%2F&subject=T.M.C.%20Asser%20Instituut:%20%5BInterview%5D%20Ernst%20Hirsch%20Ballin%3A%20%E2%80%98The%20ability%20to%20see%20%E2%80%98us%20in%20them%E2%80%99%20is%20decisive%20for%20the%20whole%20issue%20of%20migration%E2%80%99" title="Email" target="_blank"> <img src="/content/images/email_icon.png" alt="Email" title="Email" style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </a> </li> <li class="main-content-sm-button"> <a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asser.nl%2Fabout-the-asser-institute%2Fnews%2Finterview-ernst-hirsch-ballin-the-ability-to-see-us-in-them-is-decisive-for-the-whole-issue-of-migration%2F" title="Tweet" target="_blank"> <img src="/content/images/twitter_icon.png" alt="Tweet" title="Tweet" style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </a> </li> </ul> <div class="main-content-footer__print">© T.M.C. 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[Interview] Ernst Hirsch Ballin: ‘The ability to see ‘us in them’ is decisive for the whole issue of migration’