There has never been a more exciting time to study Public International Law (PIL). Issues of global law and justice are at the forefront of public debates to a greater degree than ever before. The prosecution of war crimes (both internationally and nationally), the legality of the use of force against States (e.g. Iraq), environmental protection, the scope of human rights protection (e.g. the ‘war on terrorism'), and the economic effects of globalisation promoted through the work of institutions such as the World Trade Organization are but a few of the areas where PIL has an important contribution to make.

PIL today not only impacts and shapes decisions by States to a greater degree than ever before, but it also penetrates into the national legal order – often through national court decisions – to give rights to individuals and corporations to an extent that is unrivalled in the history of the subject. These developments have in turn led to the growth of lawyers and law firms who specialise in the practice of PIL. Oxford Law provides our graduates with the understanding and ability to allow them to gain positions in governments, inter-governmental organizations (such as the United Nations), non-governmental organizations, and law firms all of which are actively looking for lawyers who are capable of undertaking sophisticated legal analysis of new and complex issues of global law.

News:

• Postgraduate Research: Decisions on applications for places for PIL graduate research are taken collectively by the international law teachers at Oxford when they receive papers submitted to the University under the normal admission procedures. These procedures are set out on the University website at: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/
  
  
• 2012-2013 University Traineeship Programme at the International Court of Justice: Funded Internship. Emma Dunlop has been awarded an internship at the International Court of Justice and will work closely with the members of the Court. As the result of a very generous donation and funds raised by members of the PIL Group, the Faculty is able to fund Emma for the duration of the internship from September 2012 – June 2013.
  
  
• The lead article in the latest issue of the American Journal of International Law is by one of our former DPhil students -Claus D. Zimmermann. Below is the abstract of the article "Exchange Rate Misalignment and International Law".
  
  
Efforts to control exchange rate manipulation through international law face substantial barriers. Disregarding problems of proof, the relevant IMF standards are legally ineffective; WTO actions based on illegal export subsidies would have a weak legal foundation; potential U.S. legislation, if enacted, would likely violate the WTO Agreement; and the uncertain interface of the WTO and IMF would compromise any WTO claim based on maintaining an undervalued real exchange rate. Ongoing problems concerning exchange rate manipulation will be solved, if at all, through politcal cooperation, not international law.


• Alec Roche Lecture - details forthcoming.