Catholic University of America Online Workshop Series on International Criminal Law and Global Justice as Wars Rage Around the World

This event is the first of three workshops that will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, Tuesday, February 24, 2026, and Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 12:30 p.m., both over Zoom and in person in the Slowinski Courtroom at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.

The three workshops will provide students and faculty with the opportunity to discuss a wide range of interdisciplinary issues related to current challenges to international law, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as American military intervention in Venezuela.The workshops precede a two-day international conference, International Criminal Law 80 Years Later: The Crossroads of Law, Ethics, Religion, and International Law, to be held at The Catholic University of America on April 12 and 13, 2027.

A New World Order? The Future of the Nuremberg Principles

Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.

The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law • Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom

Registration by the link

 The first workshop will examine the shift from a pre-20th-century “Old World Order” premised on sovereignty and the just war theory of the seventeenth-century jurist Hugo Grotius, in which wars of aggression could be legally and morally justifiable, to a “New World Order” exemplified in the Nuremberg Principles, in which “might is not necessarily right.” Grotian concepts of just war and state sovereignty experienced shockwaves after the 1914-1918 Great War. Still, they remained fundamentally unaltered until the horrific Nazi genocide led to the development of the Nuremberg Principles that established norms limiting sovereignty as a shield for accountability of individuals and heads of state for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. They spurred the development of international institutions to enforce these norms and protect human rights.

In the 21st century, powerful states have increasingly challenged this “New World Order” by acting unilaterally and forcefully against vulnerable states, by withdrawing from international organizations, and by openly questioning the applicability of “New World Order” international law to their actions.

This workshop will discuss the continued relevance of the Nuremberg Principles today from theological, moral, and legal perspectives, including human rights and individual liberties, especially freedom of expression, and just war theory. Are the key tenets of international law set out in the Nuremberg Principles still a practical global framework for accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and military aggression, or are their core ideals powerless illusions?

More information about the series of online seminars can be found by following the link.