On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump signed dozens of Executive Orders on various issues. Among those receiving little public attention was the announcement of the US withdrawal from the OECD project on reforming global corporate taxation. This step, although expected, is a major setback for the only global plan aimed at increasing economic fairness that has any real chance of success.
2024 was full of landmark decisions, and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ended the year with another one for the history books. In Pathirathne v Abeywardena and others, the court dealt with the controversial issue of the constitutional council’s refusal to approve the president’s nomination of a judge to the Supreme Court. This was the first case seeking review of a decision of the constitutional council. I argue that the decision is significant because the court affirms the council’s role in securing judicial independence, overrules (by implication) previous remarks on the council’s purpose, and strengthens the culture of inter-branch accountability.
The urgency of Europe’s creep towards plutocracy calls for a similarly urgent response. Competition law, given its history and potential as a tool of anti-domination, is a natural fit to protect and revitalise democracy in Europe from the threats posed by excessive concentrations of private power. For it to be effective for that purpose, competition scholars must clearly articulate which democratic values, like non-domination, competition law should seek to pursue, and clear-mindedly design mechanisms through which to channel them.
Die Kriege in der Ukraine und im Nahen Osten prägen unsere Gegenwart. Für viele symbolisieren sie die Auflösung der internationalen Rechtsordnung. Angesichts der Handlungsunfähigkeit des UN Sicherheitsrates erstarkt dabei das Selbstverteidigungsrecht nach Art. 51 SVN mit seinen Schranken der Erforderlichkeit und Verhältnismäßigkeit zum entscheidenden Maßstab für die Einhegung militärischer Gewalt. Doch kann der unbestimmte Verhältnismäßigkeitsgrundsatz in einem dezentralen Rechtssystem überhaupt Steuerungswirkung entfalten?
Im Israel-Gaza-Konflikt nach dem Terrorangriff der Hamas vom 7. Oktober 2023 hat sich die Frage der Verhältnismäßigkeit vielfach gestellt. Aber auch im Blick auf die (zweite) Amtseinführung von Donald J. Trump als US-Präsident am 20. Januar 2025 und die von ihm angekündigten massiven Zollerhöhungen in Richtung Kanada, Mexiko und China drängt sich die Frage auf, ob es dafür von Völkerrechts wegen Verhältnismäßigkeitsgrenzen gibt. Ob Verhältnismäßigkeit ein allgemeines Prinzip des Völkerrechts darstellt, das sich hier fruchtbar machen ließe, ist jedoch umstritten.
Während die Influencer-Kooperationen von Habeck, Lindner, Merz, Scholz und Wagenknecht kaum diskutiert wurden, erregte Elon Musks Unterstützung der AfD sogar international Aufsehen. Sein Gespräch mit Alice Weidel und sein Stream des AfD-Parteitags generierten zusammen bisher rund 100 Millionen Aufrufe. Die Unterstützung politischer Parteien in sozialen Medien stellt die neuen Regeln zu Werbemaßnahmen durch Dritte auf die Probe.
On 2 January 2025, the Indonesian Constitutional Court banned the use of Artificial Intelligence by political candidates to design campaign portraits, citing ethical concerns and a violation of the constitutional "honest principle." This post explores the cultural context behind this unique decision, focusing on how Indonesia’s communal values and emphasis on outward appearance shape both the Court’s reasoning and the petitioner’s arguments.
How can we make sense of the return of Donald Trump, who again convinced enough US voters of his populist bonafides? Populist authoritarianism has made inroads around the world. Only Trump’s version, however, probably brings together so much wealth and power, with super-rich business executives now at the helm. Here I tap a brilliant but neglected book, The Folklore of Capitalism (1937), by the legal scholar and New Deal trustbuster, Thurman Arnold (1891-1961), to understand this remarkable development. Folklore of Capitalism helps explain Trump’s wide appeal, despite the electorate’s disagreements with many of his policy preferences.
Two hundred years after gaining independence, Peru finds itself in a state of political instability. Over the past six years, the country has had six different presidents — largely due to a persistent power struggle between the Legislative and Executive branches. The ongoing turmoil indicates that Peru finds itself in a constitutional crisis– a crisis that encompasses both the constitutional text, tainted by its authoritarian history, and the political constitution, understood as the actual form of government.
It has been a year since Armenia acceded to the Rome Statute, marking a new institutional chapter for the country. The decision to join the ICC reflects Armenia’s desire to align with international standards of justice and accountability. However, it has yet to refer the situation regarding crimes committed against Armenians from the second Nagorno-Karabakh war to the ICC, largely due to significant political pressure from Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.
13. September 2025
Giovanni Capoccia
12. September 2025
Anne Peters
12. September 2025
Anne Peters