Responsibility in International Law

This course considers the notion of responsibility in international law and aims to provide a basic knowledge of the forms of responsibility present in the international system.

The focus will be to identify and discuss different types of responsibility in relation to topical or current events. Four types of international responsibility are considered in the course: State responsibility for internationally wrongful acts, the responsibility of international organisations (e.g. the United Nations), individual criminal responsibility, and the responsibility of non-state actors such as armed groups, corporations and NGOs.

The course examines these topics in light of contemporary debates about responsibility and accountability and applies them to both historical examples and current affairs.