Our international norms are arguably ill adapted to emergencies such as pandemics. In this contribution I discuss a potential remedy for one related challenge, namely a cooperation amongst competitors for the accelerated development of vaccines. A way to foster cooperation could be the use of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (‘FRAND’) terms to the licensing of pandemic-essential intellectual property rights (IPR).
Examining how Western states - primarily the US, UK and Canada - approach and develop their exceptional status with respect to allegations of international crimes shows that they pursue ‘exceptionalism’ and its benefits through a variety of strategies. Given the relative standing and power of these states internationally, the risks posed by their tactics may disproportionately burden international institutions and norms rather than the states themselves.
Die Untersuchung der Art und Weise, wie westliche Staaten - in erster Linie die USA, das Vereinigte Königreich und Kanada - ihren Ausnahmestatus in Bezug auf den Vorwurf internationaler Verbrechen wahrnehmen und ausbauen zeigt, dass sie den "Ausnahmestatus" und seine Vorteile durch eine Vielzahl von Strategien verfolgen. Angesichts des relativen Ansehens und der Macht dieser Staaten auf internationaler Ebene können die von ihren Taktiken ausgehenden Risiken eher internationale Institutionen und Normen als die Staaten selbst unverhältnismäßig stark belasten.
The Western imaginary of solidarity to distant others has long dominated discussions of Afghanistan. This commentary looks at what might be described as intermediary solidarities - towards local suppletives who have put themselves in harm’s way to aid foreign interventions, primarily Afghan interpreters, employed by Western armies. I contrast a sense of patriotic noblesse oblige to former allies with a more critical international evaluation of the status of these interpreters.
Westliche Vorstellungen von Solidarität mit Fremden dominieren seit langem die Diskussionen über Afghanistan. Dieser Kommentar befasst sich mit 'intermediärer Solidarität' bezeichnen könnte: gegenüber Ortskräften, die sich selbst in Gefahr begeben haben, um die ausländischen Interventionen in Afghanistan zu unterstützen. Dabei argumentiere ich, dass die reflexartige Solidarität, die westliche Staaten gegenüber ehemaligen Helfern gezeigt haben, eine höchst problematische Übung in Tugendhaftigkeit ist.
A pandemic instrument should recognize the changed landscape of the international community and enhance roles for and communication between regional and global governmental bodies and especially non-governmental actors. I recommend a new international instrument on pandemic response be explicit about reporting requirements when governments suspend rights during such emergencies.
The pandemic status is also a political exercise and a way to phrase a crisis according to political interests. As long as some diseases do not reach a pandemic level, they would not elicit the immediate financial help and international cooperation, which has at least been promised (if not delivered) during COVID.
Setting out new norms and arrangements for the provision of global public goods for pandemic preparedness and response should be a centrepiece of a new legal instrument that is capable of challenging market power, and builds on human rights principles in synch with the age of hyper-globalization.
Amid contention that global governance was unprepared and incapacitated in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this November, a special session of the World Health Assembly will convene to discuss a potential international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response. Marking the launch of the 'International Pandemic Lawmaking: Conceptual and Practical Issues' Symposium, this webinar will bring together leading scholars to critically discuss cross-cutting themes of the Symposium, and key points of contention and recommendation for the future of global pandemic governance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by mistrust in science, the manipulation of science for political purposes, the “infodemic” of mis- and disinformation, and a repeated failure to base policy decisions on scientific findings. The crisis of confidence in scientific analysis is paradoxical and disquieting, particularly in light of increasing international regulation to manage acute or systemic risks and its reliance on science.
13. September 2025
Giovanni Capoccia
12. September 2025
Anne Peters
12. September 2025
Anne Peters