On October 25, Prof. Tom Ginsburg gave the official Inaugural Vienna Lecture on the Internationalization of Law, titled “The Authoritarian International Law,” held at the Gallery of the University of Economics. Prof. Ginsburg is Leo Spitz Distinguished Service Professor of International Law and Political Science at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on comparative law and international law from an interdisciplinary perspective.

In his captivating lecture, Prof. Ginsburg referred to key arguments from his article “Authoritarian International Law?” published in the esteemed American Journal of International Law, as well as from his book Democracies and International Law. Ginsburg argued that international law has historically been shaped by liberal democracies. Given the global decline in democracy and the rise of authoritarian states, he posed the question of how international law might develop in this new context.

Prof. Ginsburg particularly emphasized the differing approaches to international law taken by authoritarian states versus democracies. For instance, democratic states generally enter into a significantly higher number of international treaties. However, authoritarian regimes are increasingly recognizing the tools of international law as instruments – or even “weapons” – to impose their worldview on the global stage. Consequently, autocratic regimes are increasingly inclined to utilize international norms and institutions to secure and legitimize their own rule – a trend Ginsburg terms “authoritarianization of international law.”

Prof. Monika Polzin, Director of the Institute for the Internationalization of Law, and her team welcomed the numerous international law enthusiasts in attendance, who contributed to a lively Q&A and discussion session following the lecture. For instance, attendees debated the extent to which authoritarian states’ approaches differ from those of democratic powers like the United States. The engaging evening concluded with a small reception.