LCIL Friday Lecture: 'Two Visions of the International Rule of Law' - Monica Hakimi, University of Michigan Law School

Lecture summary: Two Visions of the International Rule of Law: When we speak of the rule of law, we generally mean to describe the attributes that make law, as an enterprise, worthwhile--the qualities that lead us to aspire to live in a society governed by law. Though international lawyers commonly invoke the concept, we have devoted little attention to explaining what it entails or how it translates to the international plane. This lecture will begin to fill that gap by presenting two distinct visions of the international rule of law. Each captures something important about law, but they are in certain respects incompatible. And while one already informs much of the thinking on international law, the second, which has largely been overlooked, might actually provide a more suitable framework for evaluating when and why international law is worthwhile.

Monica Hakimi is the James V. Campbell Professor of Law and the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research at the University of Michigan Law School. Her research ties together doctrine and theory to examine how international law adapts to contemporary challenges, particularly in the areas of human and national security.