30th August 2025
CIHOL members at the forefront of legal research
Members of the Centre continue to influence the trajectory of legal research with their bold approach to complex issues on international law. Recently, they provided answers to some of the most pressing questions regarding international criminal law, prosecution of war crimes, the protection of investments in armed conflicts and the authorisation of force by the UNSC.
Associate Prof. Ondřej Svaček and Dr Martin Faix explore the challenges of prosecuting war crimes and the interconnection of international criminal law and the law of armed conflicts in their new publication, Prosecution of War Crimes before the ICC (Palgrave). This publication extends their previous work published with Palgrave in 2024 - ICC Jurisprudence and the Development of International Humanitarian Law. The latter book provides an extensive analysis of the activities carried out by the ICC and the interplay between treaty international law and customary international law.
Building on his doctoral thesis, Dr Petr Stejskal addresses the protection of foreign investments in The Application of Foreign Investment Protection in Times of Armed Conflict (Palgrave). He presents model scenarios based on facts from the ground and recent arbitral practice relating to arbitrations against Russia, Syria or Libya, and ascertains applicable legal framework. The book then critically analyses the applicability of BITs in occupied territories and norms conflicts in situations where foreign investments qualify as military objectives.
Dr Marko Svicevic provides an ambitious analysis of the powers of the United Nations Security Council in The United Nations Security Council and the Authorisation of Force (Hart). He draws his conclusions from an extensive compilation of the Security Council’s resolutions and finds that it has developed a consistent practice of prior explicit authorisation. By analysing hundreds of resolutions, extensive state practice, and relevant judicial decisions, the book clarifies the boundaries of lawful force and the Council’s unique role in shaping international peace and security. Ultimately, it provides both a doctrinal and critical account of how the Security Council has transformed the legal landscape of jus ad bellum.
Our former postdoctoral research fellow, Dr Melvill Ludwig Jacobs, addresses the continuous non-cooperation of states with the ICC in The Consequences of Non-cooperation with the International Criminal Court (T.M.C. Asser Press). As the monograph states, the non-cooperation is yet to be handled effectively. Dr Jacobs therefore proposes that the Court should apply a broader spectrum of principles of general international law to strengthen its position and authority.
