Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks

Episoade

• 83. The Escalation of Anti-Trans Policies, Human Rights and International Law 19.07.2026 1h

  Across the UK - and increasingly around the world - governments, courts and public institutions are adopting policies with profound consequences for transgender and non-binary people. In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Associate Professor Tamsin Phillipa Paige (Deakin University) is joined by Dr Sandra Duffy (University of Bristol), Dr Senthorun Raj (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Adrienne Ringin (PhD scholar, La Trobe University) to discuss the rapid escalation of anti-trans policies in the UK and their implications for international human rights. Following on from Esipode 41 about For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, the panel explores the erosion of legal protections, the growth of organised anti-trans advocacy, the role of media narratives, and the connections between anti-trans politics, authoritarianism and broader attacks on marginalised communities. They also reflect on the role of international human rights law, activism and academic critique in responding to these developments. Recommended Reading Like a Snowball: The Growth and Impact of the Gender Critical Movement in the UK (Amnesty International UK) https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/Like_a_snowball_final_.pdf Episode 41 on the Scottish Ministers Case https://soundcloud.com/calledtothebar/41-the-scottish-ministers-case-and-trans-rights-as-human-rights Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait
• 82. Dollar Hegemony and International Law 12.07.2026 57min

  In this episode, Douglas Guilfoyle speaks with Ntina Tzouvala about her new article "Dollar Hegemony as International Law-making Power". The conversation explores a provocative claim: that the dominance of the US dollar does more than confer economic and geopolitical influence - it also gives the United States exceptional power to shape the development of some aspects of international law. Ntina explains how dollar hegemony affects doctrines of jurisdiction and sovereign immunity, why material power matters to the making of customary international law, and how the legal authority generated by the dollar has been used both to support global financial capitalism and to pursue US strategic interests. Along the way, they discuss the article's historical materialist methodology, its engagement with law and political economy scholarship, and what the argument suggests about sanctions, de-dollarisation, and the changing international legal order. Recommendations: "Dollar Hegemony as International Law-making Power", https://academic.oup.com/chinesejil/article/25/2/jmag011/8670048 Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait.
• 81. Australia and the Security Council: ANU Roadshow 29.06.2026 47min

  In this roadshow episode, recorded at the workshop Australia’s Relationship with the UN Security Council: Eighty Years and Counting at the Australian National University, Douglas Guilfoyle, Imogen Saunders and Juliette McIntyre are joined by Jeremy Farrall, William Maley, Richard Rowe, Susan Harris Rimmer, Shirley Scott, and Devika Hovell. The conversation reflects on Australia’s relationship with the Security Council across eight decades, from the early UN imagination of San Francisco and Evatt to Australia’s role as a middle power, elected member, and US ally. It also explores key episodes and themes in Australia’s Council practice, and the broader questions of Council diplomacy, accountability, deadlock, and institutional memory. The discussion closes by looking ahead to the future of collective security, including climate change and other emerging security challenges.
• 80. The Right to Strike in International Law 21.06.2026 1h

  Is there a right to strike in international law? And how did a century-old debate within the International Labour Organization (ILO) end up before the International Court of Justice? In this episode, host Ntina Tzouvala is joined by Professor Tonia Novitz of the University of Bristol, one of the leading scholars of international labour law and a member of the legal team that advised the International Trade Union Confederation during the recent ICJ proceedings on the right to strike. The conversation traces the origins of the ILO’s unique tripartite structure, the development of international protections for freedom of association, and the long-running dispute over whether the right to strike is protected under ILO Convention No. 87. Tonia explains how tensions between employers, workers, and governments ultimately led to a landmark advisory opinion from the ICJ, and unpacks the Court’s reasoning on treaty interpretation, subsequent practice, and the relationship between freedom of association and collective action. The discussion also explores the political implications of the decision for the ILO, international human rights law, and domestic labour litigation around the world. Recommendations: The Right to Strike Reimagined (open access!) https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/right-to-strike-reimagined-9781509979165/ Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
• 79. Abolition in International Criminal Law 14.06.2026 1h 4min

  In this episode of Call to the Bar, International Law Over Drinks, Tamsin Phillipa Page speaks with Sanam Amin (Doctoral candidate, University of Melbourne) and Dr Sophie Rigney (RMIT School of Law) about criminal law abolitionism in the context of international criminal law. They unpack why abolition is not just about ending prisons and police, but about building better systems of care, accountability, and public investment instead. Recommended reading from the episode includes Veronica Gorrie’s Black and Blue and When Cops Are Criminals; Haunani-Kay Trask’s From a Native Daughter; Santilla Chingaipe’s Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia; and foundational abolitionist and critical ICL work by Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Angela Davis, Mariana Maceda, Dorothy Roberts, Karen Engle, Maxine Kamari-Clark, and Malik Drumbull. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
• 78. Rembering Sir Kenneth Keith 07.06.2026 51min

  In this special episode, the panel reflects on the life, career, and enduring legacy of Sir Kenneth James Keith ONZ KBE KC PC , one of the most influential international lawyers of his generation. Dr Juliette McIntyre is joined by Bill Campbell, Dr Penelope Ridings, and Anne Hertogen to share personal memories of Sir Kenneth and to explore the qualities that made him such a respected figure across academia, government service, law reform, and international adjudication. Through a series of stories—ranging from his generosity towards students and junior colleagues to his intellectual leadership on some of the most significant legal questions of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—the discussion paints a portrait of a lawyer whose influence extended far beyond his many formal appointments. The conversation examines Sir Kenneth’s remarkable career, including his service on the International Court of Justice, the New Zealand Court of Appeal, the New Zealand Law Commission, and numerous international tribunals and arbitral bodies. The panel considers the distinctive perspective he brought to international adjudication through his combination of scholarly expertise, practical government experience, and judicial service. As always, these are informal conversations, reflecting the personal views of the participants and not those of their institutions. Recommendations: Sir Kenneth's liber amicorum https://teherengawakapress.co.nz/products/seeing-the-world-whole-essays-in-honour-of-sir-kenneth-keith?srsltid=AfmBOorOKjAEkNpCpx8TKB8KsJ2_3lZX1quZiDE4iRpaHVfSCX0-jeR_ His biography: https://www.amazon.com.au/Without-Fear-Favour-Life-Law/dp/1776922190 And here is an image that goes with the whakataukī (proverb) mentioned in discussion: https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22703273. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
• 77. International Law in Domestic Courts 26.05.2026 53min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Imogen Saunders is joined by the Honourable Michael Kirby AC and Christopher Ward SC to discuss the role of international law in Australian domestic courts. Prompted by several recent Australian legal developments involving alleged international crimes and climate litigation, the conversation steps back from the specific cases to ask a broader question: how, and how much, does international law matter in domestic legal systems such as Australia’s? Michael Kirby explains Australia’s dualist tradition, under which international law generally requires domestic incorporation before it becomes directly enforceable in Australian courts. He reflects on the Bangalore Principles, his judicial use of international human rights law, and the continuing debate over whether courts may use international law as a contextual guide when interpreting domestic law. The discussion ranges across cases including Mabo, Al-Kateb, Jago, and Muir, and considers the role of courts in developing the common law in light of international legal principles. Christopher Ward SC brings the perspective of both scholar and practitioner. Drawing on his forthcoming book, International Law and the High Court of Australia, he traces the growing normalisation of international law references in Australian superior courts. He explains how international law informs statutory interpretation, particularly where legislation gives effect to treaty obligations, and discusses the practical implications for lawyers working on matters involving international crimes, foreign state immunity, refugee law, pandemic regulation, and human rights. The episode also considers the interaction between international law and Australian law during the COVID-19 pandemic, including border closures, maritime obligations, aviation rules, and the right of Australian citizens to return to Australia. The guests reflect on the importance of international consistency, the limits of dualism, and the areas where international law may yet play a greater role in Australian domestic law, including human rights, climate change, and juvenile justice. Recommendations and materials discussed include: Christopher Ward, ‘International Law and the High Court of Australia’ (forthcoming June 2026, Melrose Publishing) https://melroselegalpublishers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ward-978-90-834075-6-2.pdf Al-Kateb v Godwin [2004] HCA 37 with particular reference to the judgments of Kirby J and McHugh J https://www.hcourt.gov.au/sites/default/files/eresources/2004/HCA/37.pdf Muir v The Queen [2004] HCA 21 https://www.hcourt.gov.au/cases-and-judgments/judgments/judgments-1998-current/muir-v-queen Michael Kirby, 'The Road from Bangalore: The First Ten Years of the Bangalore Principles on the Domestic Application of International Human Rights Norms’ https://www.hcourt.gov.au/sites/default/files/assets/publications/speeches/former-justices/kirbyj/kirbyj_bang11.htm Michael Kirby, 'The Australian Use of International Human Rights Norms' (1993) 16(2) UNSW Law Journal 363: https://www.michaelkirby.com.au/images/stories/speeches/1990s/vol28/994-UNSWLJ_-_The_Aus_Use_of_Int_Human_Rights_Norms_-_From_Bangalore_to_Balliol_-_A_View_from_the_Antipodes.pdf Gradidge v Grace Bros (1988) 93 FLR 414 per Kirby P Mabo v Qld [No 2] (1972) 175 CLR 1 Michael Kirby, ’Transnational Judicial Dialogue, Internationalisation of Law and Australian Judges’ (2008) 9 Melbourne Journal of International Law https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1683186/Kirby.pdf Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
• 76. Intervention before the International Court of Justice 17.05.2026 1h 7min

  In this episode Dr Juliette McIntyre is joined by Professor Beatrice Bonafè (Université Paris Panthéon-Assas) and Dr Matina Papadaki (University of Glasgow) for a lively discussion on one of international law’s most suddenly fashionable procedural topics: intervention before the International Court of Justice. From the once-obscure provisions of Articles 62 and 63 of the ICJ Statute to the recent explosion of intervention requests in contentious proceedings, the conversation explores how and why third states seek to participate in cases before the Court. Along the way, the episode unpacks the distinction between intervention “as of right” and intervention by request, the historical underuse of these mechanisms, and the remarkable procedural shift visible in recent genocide litigation and other high-profile disputes. Beatrice and Matina reflect on the practical and conceptual tensions underpinning intervention practice, including transparency, procedural fairness, judicial administration, and the relationship between procedure and substance in international adjudication. The discussion also turns to academic life and career pathways into international law, with both guests sharing the winding journeys that led them from Athens, Rome, Geneva, Copenhagen and beyond to their current positions in Paris and Glasgow. Recommendations: Juliette McIntyre, ‘Procedural Values in the Intervention Procedure at the International Court of Justice’ [2022] Ukrainian Law Review Beatrice I. Bonafè, ‘Impacts of substance on procedure: Genocide litigation before the ICJ’ [2025] Questions of International Law Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
• 75. State Immunity: Sovereignty, Accountability, and the Greek Perspective 09.05.2026 1h 7min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Tamsin Phillipa Paige (Deakin) and Imogen Saunders (ANU) are joined by Dimitrios A. Kourtis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) to discuss his new book, The Development and Application of the International Law of State Immunity: The Greek Perspective. The conversation begins with a rich reflection on Dimitrios’ intellectual journey into international law - from rural central Greece to the study of genocide, sovereignty, and international criminal law - before turning to the doctrine of state immunity itself. What does it mean for one state to be immune from the jurisdiction of another state’s courts? Why has immunity historically been understood as an expression of sovereign equality? And how have these principles evolved in response to human rights claims, reparations litigation, and contemporary demands for accountability? Drawing on the Greek experience, the episode explores how a so-called “semi-peripheral” state has played an unexpectedly significant role in shaping debates around jurisdictional immunity, enforcement immunity, and the relationship between sovereignty and justice. Along the way, the panel unpacks major doctrinal tensions, historical controversies, and the enduring question of whether immunity protects international order, or shields power from scrutiny. Recommendations: The Development and Application of the International Law of State Immunity: The Greek Perspective, https://www.sakkoulas.gr/en/editions/d-kourtis-the-development-and-application-of-the-international-law-of-state-immunity-2025/ Recipe Tin Eats: https://www.recipetineats.com/ Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
• 74. Isis Brides: Children of Nowhere and the Limits of Citizenship 02.05.2026 1h 9min

  In this episode Associate Professor Imogen Saunders is joined by Dr Rumyana van Ark and Professor Kim Rubenstein to discuss citizenship, security, and the rights of children in the context of Australians held in camps in North East Syria. Prompted by recent debate over the so-called “ISIS brides”, the conversation asks what citizenship means when citizens are abroad, what obligations states owe to their nationals, and how those questions become even more urgent when children are involved. Kim Rubenstein explains the uncertain place of citizenship in Australian constitutional law, the limits of diplomatic protection, and the dangers of using citizenship deprivation as a tool of punishment or security policy. Rumyana van Ark examines the position of children in the camps through the lens of international children’s rights, counter-terrorism law, and the practical consequences of prolonged detention, repatriation delays, and statelessness. Together, they explore the uneasy relationship between national security and human rights; the vulnerability of dual citizens; the gendered and racialised dimensions of citizenship stripping; and the risks of treating children associated with foreign fighters as security threats rather than rights holders. The episode also reflects on “security populism”, the limits of existing international legal frameworks, and why repatriation, prosecution where appropriate, rehabilitation, and reintegration may be not only more rights-compliant, but also better security policy. Recommendations: ‘Security and Human Rights’ (2nd ed.) by Benjamin J Goold and Liora Lazarus (eds.)(https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/security-and-human-rights-9781849467308/) ‘Europe’s Guantanamo: The indefinite detention of European women and children in North East Syria’, Rights & Security International (https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/children-s-rights-foreign-fighters-counter-terrorism-9781800377110.html) ‘Children’s Rights, ‘Foreign Fighters’, Counter-Terrorism: Children of Nowhere’ by Rumyana van Ark, Devyani Prabhat and Faith Gordon (https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/children-s-rights-foreign-fighters-counter-terrorism-9781800377110.html) 'Allegiance and Identity in a Globalised World’ by edited Fiona Jenkins, Mark Nolan and Kim Rubenstein (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/allegiance-and-identity-in-a-globalised-world/allegiance-and-identity-in-a-globalised-world) Kim Rubenstien and Niamh Lenagh-Maguire, 'More or less secure? Nationality questions, deportation and dual nationality’ (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/nationality-and-statelessness-under-international-law/more-or-less-secure-nationality-questions-deportation-and-dual-nationality) 'The vulnerability of dual citizenship in Australia | Kim Rubenstein | TEDxFulbrightCanberra’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51B8aA1UCWM) Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait
• 73. Blockade and the Strait of Hormuz: Do Two Closeds Make an Open? 25.04.2026 59min

  In this episode Juliette McIntyre (Adelaide University) is joined by Phillip Drew (Queen’s University Centre for International and Defence Policy) alongside in-house maritime law specialists Tamsin Phillipa Paige (Deakin) and Douglas Guilfoyle (UNSW Canberra) to tackle a suddenly urgent topic: naval blockade. What exactly is a blockade in international law, and when is it lawful? The panel traces the doctrine from its historical roots to its modern regulation under the law of naval warfare, where blockades remain a recognised, but tightly constrained, act of war requiring effectiveness, notification, and impartiality toward neutral shipping . From there, the discussion turns to current events, including the US blockade of Iran and Iran's attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, raising difficult questions about freedom of navigation, the legality of closing international straits, and the broader implications for the global trading system. Recommendations: - Drew, The Law of Maritime Blockade: Past, Present, and Future, https://academic.oup.com/book/11044 - The Newport Manual on the Law of Naval Warfare, https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/ils/vol101/iss1/1/ - The San Remo Manual on Armed Conflicts at Sea, https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/san-remo-manual-1994 - Guilfoyle, The Mavi Marmara Incident and Blockade in Armed Conflict https://doi.org/10.1093/bybil/brr002 Sound editing: Jamie Guilfoyle Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait
• 72. Assassinations: law, targetting and the changing nature of war 19.04.2026 1h 7min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Tamsin Phillipa Paige (Deakin Law School) and Douglas Guilfoyle (UNSW Canberra) are joined by Alonso Gurmendi Dunkelberg (LSE) and Emma Lush (University of Adelaide) to unpack the legal status of assassination in contemporary warfare and statecraft. From Cold War plots to modern drone strikes, the panel explores the apparent resurgence of targeted killing as a tool of state power. What explains this shift? How has the logic of war changed in an era of precision targeting, AI, and pre-identified “target lists”? And does the law meaningfully constrain these practices? The discussion moves across key legal frameworks, including the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force, the threshold for armed attack, and the rules of international humanitarian law governing targeting. Along the way, the episode interrogates blurred lines between peace and war, the expansion of lawful targets, and the troubling implications of a model of conflict where violence is increasingly individualized and pre-programmed.
• 71. Prosecuting Aggression: Building a Special Tribunal for Ukraine 09.04.2026 57min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Dr Juliette McIntyre is joined by Mykola Yurlov (Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Mark Ellis (International Bar Association) to unpack one of the most ambitious current projects in international criminal law: the proposed Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Blending personal insight with institutional perspective, the conversation traces the rapid emergence of the tribunal idea following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and the legal gap it seeks to fill. While the International Criminal Court remains central to global accountability efforts, its jurisdictional limits over aggression have prompted states and legal practitioners to explore alternative mechanisms—reviving, in many respects, a form of accountability not seen since Nuremberg. The discussion explores how the tribunal is being constructed in practice: from the role of the Council of Europe and the “core group” of states, to difficult negotiations over immunities, jurisdiction, and the possibility of trials in absentia. The episode also addresses institutional tensions, including early resistance from within the ICC system, and the broader political sensitivities of targeting senior state leadership. Recommendations: "An Anxious Generation": https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-anxious-generation-9781802063271 "UN Charter - 5 Pillars": https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-94866-4 Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait
• 70. Foreign Military Bases: Empire, Sovereignty, and International Law 04.04.2026 46min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Ntina Tzouvala (UNSW) is joined by Zohra Ahmed (Boston University School of Law) and Nasia Hadjigeorgiou (University of Central Lancashire, Cyprus) to examine the law, history, and politics of foreign military bases. Against the backdrop of escalating conflict in the Middle East, the conversation explores how the US and UK came to maintain extensive global networks of military bases: from post-colonial enclaves like Cyprus and the Chagos Archipelago to status of forces agreements (SOFAs) that underpin US bases worldwide. The episode unpacks the legal distinctions between these models and what they reveal about sovereignty, consent, and enduring forms of imperial power. Drawing on recent developments in international law, including the ICJ’s Chagos Advisory Opinion, the discussion considers whether existing legal frameworks offer meaningful avenues to challenge the continued presence of foreign bases. It also reflects on the evolving uses of these spaces - from warfare to detention - and what they tell us about the relationship between international law, militarism, and political economy. Recommendations: -Nasia's EJIL piece: https://academic.oup.com/ejil/article/33/4/1125/6825293?guestAccessKey= -Nasia's blog post: https://verfassungsblog.de/why-us-sovereign-bases-in-greenland-would-violate-international-law/ -Zohra's YJIL piece: https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/3712/ -Daniel Immerwahr, How to Hide an Empire: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/how-to-hide-an-empire-9781473545335 Sound production: Jamie Guilfoyle Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait
• 69. Evidence Before International Courts: Facts, Proof, and Procedure 28.03.2026 57min

  In this episode Juliette McIntyre (Adelaide University) is joined by James Devaney (University of Glasgow) and Cecily Rose (Leiden University) to explore the often-overlooked world of evidence and fact-finding in international adjudication. Why does the International Court of Justice have so few formal rules on evidence? What does it actually do with the mountains of annexes submitted by parties? And what exactly counts as proof in international litigation? Drawing on James’s leading work on ICJ fact-finding and Cecily’s experience across arbitration and international courts, the episode examines the Court’s traditionally reactive approach, recent efforts at reform, and how it compares with more interventionist practices in investment arbitration and human rights courts. The conversation also unpacks practical issues - from expert evidence and adverse inferences to the strategic dynamics of litigation - offering insights into how international courts construct “facts” in the absence of strict evidentiary frameworks. Sound production: Jamie Guilfoyle Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au lait
• 68. The Right to Protest: Law, Resistance, and Regulation 23.03.2026 32min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Ntina Tzouvala (UNSW) is joined by Dr Maria O’Sullivan (Deakin Law School) to unpack the legal frameworks governing the right to protest at a time of increasing global restriction. Drawing on Maria’s research expertise - spanning international human rights law, domestic law, and public policy - the conversation explores how the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) protects freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and how those protections are being tested in practice. From escalating state violence to the proliferation of restrictive protest laws, the episode examines the widening gap between formal legal guarantees and lived realities on the ground. The discussion also reflects on Maria’s broader career in international human rights law, the influence of key mentors, and the challenge of translating international legal norms into domestic contexts. Recommendations: Azadeh Dastyari, Maria O’Sullivan, International Law and the Regulation of Protest (2026) https://www.routledge.com/International-Law-and-the-Regulation-of-Protest/Dastyari-OSullivan/p/book/9781032863573 Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
• 67. UN Special Rapporteurs and Procedures: Independent Voices in an Uncertain World 13.03.2026 48min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks, Tamsin Phillipa Paige is joined by Professor Ben Saul (Sydney Law School; UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights) and Dr Pichamon Yeophantong (Deakin University; Member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights) to demystify the UN’s Special Procedures system. What exactly are Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups? How did these mechanisms emerge from the late-1960s human rights movement, and how do they function today within the Human Rights Council system? Drawing on their lived experience as mandate holders, Ben and Pichamon explain the independence, authority, and limitations of these roles: from fact-finding missions and urgent communications, to producing reports that carry the weight of being issued by the UN. The conversation also explores the practical realities behind the mandates: underfunding, reliance on volunteer labour, political pushback from states, and the delicate balance between independence and institutional affiliation. In a moment of growing authoritarianism and multilateral strain, the episode asks whether Special Procedures are one of the UN’s most powerful, or most precarious, human rights tools.
• 66. Submarine cables 07.03.2026 1h 13min

  In this episode, Douglas Guilfoyle and Tamsin Phillipa Paige are joined by Dr Tara Davenport (NUS Centre for International Law) and Dita Liliansa (UNSW Sydney) for a deep dive into the law, history, and strategic significance of submarine cables, the quietly critical infrastructure underpinning the modern internet (and increasingly, power grids). From the colonial origins of telegraph cables to the oddly antique legal framework still doing duty today (hello, 1884), the panel unpacks who regulates cables across territorial seas, EEZs, archipelagic waters, and the high seas, and why “grey zone” sabotage in places like the Baltic keeps raising hard jurisdictional questions (including a certain provocative word: piracy). They also tackle cable geopolitics in the South China Sea, the rise of “smart” sensing cables, and why the law of armed conflict is alarmingly undercooked for something this essential. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
• 65. Global Governance: Promise, Power, and the Limits of the ‘Global’ 20.02.2026 1h 2min

  In this episode of Called to the Bar, Tamsin Phillipa Paige is joined by Aoife O’Donoghue (Queen’s University Belfast), Ruth Houghton (Newcastle University), and Cher Weixia Chen (George Mason University) to discuss their newly published Research Handbook on Global Governance (2025). https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook/book/9781789906332/9781789906332.xml The conversation explores what we mean when we talk about “global governance” - and what that concept may obscure as much as it explains. Drawing on the Handbook’s wide-ranging contributions, the editors reflect on the successes and failures of global institutions in responding to climate change, pandemics, war, democracy, human rights, and inequality. They interrogate the ideologies embedded in the language of the “global”, the roles played by states and international organisations, and persistent questions of legitimacy, accountability, and power. Interdisciplinary in scope and critical in tone, the discussion highlights why law alone cannot explain how global governance works - or fails - and why local, indigenous, feminist, and comparative perspectives are essential to understanding contemporary global ordering. Alongside critique, the episode also asks where hope might be found: not in easy reform narratives, but in rethinking how governance is practised and studied. Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
• 64. Feminist Careers in International Law 13.02.2026 54min

  In the Season 3 opener of Called to the Bar, Tamsin Phillipa Paige (Deakin Law School) is joined by an extraordinary panel to reflect on what a feminist career in international law can look like in practice. Bringing together Professor Dianne Otto (Melbourne Law School), Professor Christine Chinkin (LSE), and Judge Hilary Charlesworth (International Court of Justice; Melbourne Law School / ANU), the episode offers a rare, candid conversation across generations of feminist international legal scholarship and practice. The discussion moves beyond CVs and milestones to explore how feminist careers are built: through activism, mentorship, institutional engagement, collaboration, and care. The panel reflects on navigating academia, advisory roles, and judicial office; the value of collective feminist projects; and the ways in which careers intertwine, diverge, and evolve over time. They also speak openly about power, responsibility, and the importance of supporting those coming up behind them.