When Arthur Galston coined the term 'ecocide' in 1970, the choice to model it on 'genocide' was deliberate; the etymological echo was designed to generate political leverage and signal the gravity of environmental destruction caused by the US’ Operation Ranch Hand in Vietnam. The same analogy that gave ecocide its political traction has also constrained it. More than fifty years later, the genocide model continues to shape how ecocide is imagined, argued for, and drafted. It has functioned as a ladder: elevating ecocide onto the international criminal law arena and into public discourse through statements by figures such as Pope Francis and Paul McCartney. Yet it has also become a ceiling, creating expectations that the Rome Statute, and even the Independent Expert Panel’s definition, cannot fully absorb.
Genocide
Page 1 of 25
Eurovision, Non-Recognition and Bangaranga?!
Bulgaria won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with Dara’s “Bangaranga”; Israel finished second; and five countries, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, stayed away in protest at Israel’s participation. That combination, spectacle, boycott and contested belonging, is a useful entry point into a wider legal problem. Eurovision is not the United…
Domestic Courts and the States’ Obligation to Prevent Genocide and Serious Violations of IHL: The Brussels Court of Appeal’s Interlocutory Judgment of 16 March 2026
On 16 March 2026, the Brussels Court of Appeal (hereafter, the “Court”) issued an interlocutory judgment in summary proceedings (référé) concerning the alleged failure of the Belgian State to comply with its international obligations in relation to the risk of genocide and serious violations of international humanitarian law (“IHL”) in Gaza (hereafter, the “Judgment”). The…
Another Setback for Ukraine? The ICJ Declares Russia’s Counter-Claims in the Ukraine v. Russia Genocide Case Admissible
On 5 December 2025, the ICJ delivered its order on the admissibility of Russia’s counter-claims in the Ukraine v. Russia genocide case. It is now the second decision by the Court in this unusual ‘reverse genocide case’ (see, on this blog, Raju, Milanovic, Weller) brought by Ukraine in which Ukraine has arguably suffered a setback,…
The Allegations of Genocide Case and Russia’s Judge Ad Hoc
The Allegations of Genocide case has entered a new phase. On 5 December 2025, the International Court of Justice (Court) issued an order on Russia’s counter-claims. By eleven votes to four, it found them admissible as such and forming part of the current proceedings. Naturally, the decision on the merits tends to overshadow procedural questions. Yet the…
- Page 1 of 25
- Last