Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security
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| Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security | |
|---|---|
| Name | Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security |
| Formation | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Glasgow |
| Location | University of Glasgow |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | Tom Gerald Daly |
Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security is an academic research centre based at the University of Glasgow focused on international law and security studies. The centre connects scholarship on humanitarian law, human rights, armed conflict, and international organisations with policy debates involving courts, tribunals, and treaty regimes. It engages with practitioners from courts, ministries, and international agencies to influence scholarship on treaty interpretation, use of force, and post-conflict reconstruction.
History
The centre was established within the School of Law, University of Glasgow during a period of institutional expansion linked to broader debates following the Iraq War, the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Court, and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Early activities involved collaborations with scholars associated with the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, and the Hague Academy of International Law. Founding projects addressed reforms to the United Nations Security Council, accountability mechanisms after the Rwandan Genocide, and humanitarian access in the context of the Syria conflict. Over time the centre consolidated links with comparative law departments in the University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and the University of Edinburgh while hosting visiting fellows from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Amnesty International legal team, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Mission and Objectives
The centre aims to produce policy-relevant research that informs institutions such as the United Nations, European Union, and regional courts including the European Court of Human Rights. Objectives include elucidating legal frameworks governing the Law of Armed Conflict, strengthening mechanisms associated with the International Criminal Court, and supporting training for personnel from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and multilateral missions like UNMISS. It seeks to bridge scholarship from eminent bodies such as the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, the Chatham House, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace with practitioner communities from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the African Union, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Research Areas
Research spans intersections of legal doctrine and operational practice, including projects on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the development of the Responsibility to Protect norm, and the interpretation of the Genocide Convention. Scholars publish work on the legality of targeted strikes debated in contexts like the Afghanistan War and the Yemeni Civil War, as well as analyses of refugee protection under instruments influenced by the 1951 Refugee Convention. Studies interrogate the role of non-state actors evident in cases such as the Basque conflict and the Irish Republican Army and examine treaty negotiation dynamics visible in the history of the Rome Statute. Comparative work engages with jurisprudence from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, and constitutional courts such as the Supreme Court of Canada.
Academic Programs and Teaching
The centre contributes to postgraduate courses at the University of Glasgow including master's training in international law, clinics on litigation before the International Criminal Court, and modules drawing on practice at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Teaching incorporates case studies from landmark decisions like the Nuremberg Trials, the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Kosovo, and the Southern Bluefin Tuna dispute. It supervises PhD candidates whose projects reference precedent from the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and arbitration under the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Training programs have been delivered for delegates from the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and national judiciaries such as the High Court of Justice (England and Wales).
Partnerships and Collaborations
The centre maintains formal links with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Criminal Court, and university partners including the University of Oxford, the Harvard Law School, and the Yale Law School. It collaborates on funded projects with the Economic and Social Research Council, the European Research Council, and foundations such as the Open Society Foundations. Joint initiatives include workshops with the Hague Institute for Global Justice, conferences with the Royal United Services Institute, and exchange programs involving the United States Institute of Peace and the Australian National University.
Publications and Events
Scholars from the centre contribute to journals and edited volumes published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and the Journal of International Criminal Justice. The centre organizes conferences, seminars, and public lectures featuring speakers from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, and retired judges from the International Court of Justice. It produces policy briefs cited by the United Nations Human Rights Council, submissions to the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and reports used by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
Governance and Funding
Governance is provided by an academic director and advisory board drawn from faculty at the University of Glasgow, visiting academics from the London School of Economics, and practitioners seconded from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Scottish Government. Funding sources include competitive grants from the European Research Council, project awards from the Economic and Social Research Council, philanthropic support from the Leverhulme Trust, and consultancy income generated through partnerships with bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Development Programme.