International Law in Contemporary Society


The world has changed dramatically, yet International Law is fundamentally the same as when
Czechoslovakia was one country, Berlin was divided by the Wall and the Twin Towers still stood in
New York.


In six classes, taught intensively over three days, Prof. Ryszard Piotrowicz of Aberystwyth
University will consider the role of International Law in addressing  some of the most
controversial issues facing the international community today.


Prof. Piotrowicz will discuss how the fundamental principles of International Law continue to apply
– principles which  govern how all countries act, towards each other and towards their own
citizens, from Syria to North Korea, from Russia to the USA, from the Czech Republic to Slovakia.


Where is the law:

·        When the Syrian government attacks its own people and the world just watches?

·        When Colonel Gaddaffi is murdered on YouTube but nobody is prosecuted?

·        When thousands of women are raped every year in war?

·        When young women are trafficked for sex?

·        When the UK and France attack Libya?

·        When Kosovo and Northern Cyprus claim to be States?

·        When more than half of the countries in the world torture their citizens?


The classes will:

·        Explain the legal dimension of fundamental issues facing the international community.

·        Show you how International Law plays a crucial role in the most significant events taking
place  in the world.

·        Allow you plenty of time to ask questions and discuss the issues.



The Lecturer

http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/law-criminology/staffdirectory/ryp/


Ryszard Piotrowicz is Professor in the Law School at Aberystwyth University. He previously taught
at the Universities of Glasgow (Scotland), Durham (England) and Tasmania (Australia), where he was
the Dean of Law. He is a member of the Euroopean Commission’s Group of Experts on Trafficking in
Human Beings since 2008.


Prof. Piotrowicz studied International Law in Scotland, Poland, Germany and Greece. He is an
Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellow. He has lectured in many countries and worked as a consultant to
national governments and several international organisations. He specialises in Refugee Law and
International Humanitarian Law. He has been lecturing regularly at Masaryk University since 1999.