'Nostalgia is not a Strategy': What Next for International Law in 2026?

The Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law and the Institute for International Law and the Humanities at Melbourne Law School are pleased to invite you to this webinar featuring experts in international law and international relations.

Date/Time: Tuesday 24 February 2026 (1-2PM AEDT)

At his speech at the World Economic Forum in January 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that in the current moment of rupture in the world order, where multilateral institutions are under challenge, ‘nostalgia is not a strategy’. Indeed, Prime Minister Carney stated that we should ‘stop invoking rules-based international order as though it functions as advertised’. Taking Prime Minister Carney’s speech as a starting point, in this webinar four experts in international law and international relations will discuss the tumultuous month for international law in January 2026 and what this moment means for international law in the year ahead, including in our region.

Speakers:

• Professor Charles-Emmanuel Côté, Faculty of Law, Laval University; President of the Canadian Council on International Law
• Professor Toni Erskine, Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University
• Professor Luis Eslava, Faculty of Law, La Trobe University
• Professor Devika Hovell, Faculty of Law, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Chair: Professor Alison Duxbury, University of Melbourne; President, Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law