Juristische Fakultät

TwoLaw – Lecture Series on the Laws of War

- organized by Jochen von Bernstorff and Andreas Kulick - 

TwoLaW is an online lecture series on the theory, history, policy and practice of the laws of war. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Hamas’ attack on Israel and the ensuing conflict in the Middle East, rarely in recent memory have both the ius contra bellum and the ius in bello faced so many daunting challenges: use of force by and self-defence against non-state actors; the participation of private military companies in hostilities; the digitization of warfare; the protection of civilians and the environment in international, non-international and hybrid armed conflicts; peace agreements and post-conflict claims; international criminal responsibility before and beyond the ICC – to name but a few of them. TwoLaW invites engaging discussions on these matters, seeking to bring into dialogue the law on the prohibition of the of force and international humanitarian law despite their necessary doctrinal separation.

TwoLaW provides a critical perspective on pertinent challenges of the laws of war, broadly understood, in light of their theoretical, doctrinal, historical and political implications. Each one-hour event features a thought-provoking presentation by a leading scholar in the first half hour followed by a discussion in the second half hour. All events are held exclusively online from 6–7 pm CET.


Previous Lectures

Eliav Liebich (24 November 2025)

The Death and Life of the Prohibition on Forcible Reprisals

Kai Ambos (14 July 2025)

Genocide in Gaza, especially the special intent requirement?

Lauri Mälksoo (07 April 2025)

Russian and Soviet justifications of war and approaches to jus ad bellum: from the Great Nordic War (1700-1721) to Ukraine in 2022

Marko Milanovic (24 March 2025)

The notion of an Illegal Occupation in the ICJ’s 2024 Palestine Advisory Opinion

Eliana Cusato (09 January 2025)

International law, nature, and violence: Conceptualizing the ecology of war and peace

Claire Vergerio (28 November 2024)

War, States, and International Order Alberico Gentili and the Foundational Myth of the Laws of War

Janina Dill (22 October 2024)

International Law in Gaza: Belligerent Intent & Provisional Measures 

Gleider Hernández (11 April 2024)

Adjudicating War? A new front at the ICJ

Adjudicating War? A new front at the ICJ

Sarah Nouwen (13 March 2024)

Intra-State Peace Agreements – Prose, Poetry, Legal Instrument?

Current Research

Jochen von Bernstorff

Recent monograph on the history of International Humanitarian Law (French)

L'essor et la chute du droit international humanitaire: Une brève histoire de la codification de la protection des civils en temps de guerre (1899–1977)

Editions Pedone 2024, 120 p.

For an English translation, see https://independent.academia.edu/JochenvonBernstorff.