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International Law

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International law governs the relationships among nations and international organizations and includes humanitarian, criminal, military, maritime, trade, and environmental laws and treaties such as the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. RAND research has helped to clarify issues of global governance with regard to the environment, counterterrorism and security, piracy, human and drug trafficking, and finance.

Essay
What Does China's Arctic Presence Mean to the United States?
China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” a designation it invented to push for a greater role in Arctic governance. Although the U.S. sees China as a potentially destabilizing force, engaging with China in the Arctic does not have to be a win-or-lose proposition. There are opportunities to cooperate—on climate change, for example, or pollution control.
Dec 29, 2022
Essay
The Calls for More Progress on Space Governance Are Growing Louder
Space may seem infinite, but the narrow band that hugs the Earth, where satellites and space stations operate, is not. Existing space treaties won't be enough to keep satellites safe, to prevent crowding and collisions, and to preserve the promise of outer space.
Jan 5, 2023

Explore International Law

Report
Antarctica at Risk: Geostrategic Manoeuvring and the Future of the Antarctic Treaty System
Leveraging open-source literature and a tabletop exercise, the authors examine the possible implications that geostrategic manoeuvring in the Antarctic in the coming decades might have on the longevity and resilience of the Antarctic Treaty System.
Jun 13, 2023
Research Brief
Now Is the Time for Space Traffic Management
The growing number of objects in orbit has increased the potential for overcrowding, debris creation, and, ultimately, collisions. If space powers don't establish an international space traffic management organization soon, the world could lose key portions of its orbital resources.
Jun 5, 2023
Report
International Space Traffic Management: Charting a Course for Long-Term Sustainability
As outer space becomes more congested, contested, and competitive, risks to space safety, security, and sustainability heighten. The authors identified lessons from other domains and offer recommendations to make progress in space traffic management.
Jun 5, 2023
Report
Alternative Futures Following a Great Power War: Volume 1, Scenarios, Findings, and Recommendations
RAND researchers generated four plausible near-term great power war scenarios and assessed how they could shape the postwar strategic environment.
May 9, 2023
Research Brief
The Aftermath of a Great Power War
A review of historical great power wars shows that prewar predictions about who would fight, how long the war would last, and how the world would look afterward were often wrong. It's important to understand what the outcomes of different conflicts could look like and how to better prepare for them.
May 9, 2023
Tool
Mass Atrocity Prevention Open Educational Resource (OER)
Understanding past mass violence events is key to preventing mass atrocities. This resource provides an overview of Holocaust education and atrocity prevention to help users consider their roles in social justice promotion and atrocity prevention.
May 2, 2023
Dissertation
Whither the Liberal International Order? Does an Attenuated Liberal International Order Affect the Propensity, Incidence, and Intensity of Conflict?
Seeks to understand and anticipate the impact of an attenuated or weakened Liberal International Order on propensity, incidence, and intensity of conflict.
Apr 5, 2023
Report
Cross-Domain Lessons for Space Traffic Management: An Analysis of Air and Maritime Treaty Governance Mechanisms
In this report, the authors examine the treaty-based governance systems from both the air and maritime domains as potential models for the development of an international space traffic management system.
Jan 25, 2023
Essay
What Might Space Look Like in 2050?
It would not take huge technological breakthroughs to make space and space travel a much bigger part of everyday life. Instead, it would take a steady progression of incremental advances—and one development in particular could provide the tipping point.
Jan 5, 2023
Tool
Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa
Military weapons exports and private military and security contractors are important tools for projecting a country's influence around the world. How have China and Russia employed these tools across Africa in recent years?
Dec 13, 2022
Commentary
Is Seabed Mining an Opportunity to Break China's Stranglehold on Critical Minerals Supply Chains?
China dominates global supply chains for nearly all critical mineral resources, including the rare earths that power decarbonization technologies. Seabed mining may be a way to diversify critical minerals supply chains and break China's stranglehold on supplies of some of the world's most important natural resources.
Nov 21, 2022
Report
China's Role in the Global Development of Critical Resources
China's extensive foreign investments in energy infrastructure and critical minerals have raised concerns. Case studies in coal power, electricity transmission, and seabed mining examine China's behaviors and suggest ways to build capacity among host nations to minimize the potential effects of an overreliance on China.
Nov 7, 2022
Dissertation
Facing the Ravenous Sea Dragon: How Weaker Nations Confront Chinese Coercion in the South China Sea
Explores the policies of weaker nations to counter Chinese coercion in the South China Sea disputes.
Nov 1, 2022
Report
The Political Geography of the South China Sea Disputes
Until the early 20th century, the South China Sea was seen as a vital communications and trade passage that was not under the jurisdiction of any country or empire. How did littoral states' claims on its maritime zones and features develop? And what is the likely future of the disputes?
Oct 19, 2022
Report
Russian Coercive Signaling Toward the West
In recent years, Russia has consistently engaged in signaling activities—military actions far short of direct aggression but often creating escalatory risks—toward the United States and its allies. Understanding what drives this behavior can help U.S. efforts to interpret future events.
Sep 29, 2022
Essay
Civilian Casualties: Lessons from the Battle for Raqqa
The United States' emphasis on minimizing civilian harm in Raqqa, Syria, was quite clear and strong up and down the chain of command. But the way in which the U.S. military waged war in Raqqa too often undercut that commitment. The Pentagon asked RAND to find out what happened.
Jul 1, 2022
Journal Article
Development of Future Scenarios for Sustainable Pesticide Use and Achievement of Pesticide-Use and Risk-Reduction Targets Announced in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies by 2030: Executive Summary
We conducted an evidence review of academic and grey literature and legal and regulatory documents to identify the key factors driving pesticide use in the EU. A PESTLE framework was used to structure the approach and identify potential factors across different influence areas.
Jun 24, 2022
Journal Article
Development of Future Scenarios for Sustainable Pesticide Use and Achievement of Pesticide-Use and Risk-Reduction Targets Announced in the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies by 2030
We conducted an evidence review of academic and grey literature and legal and regulatory documents to identify the key factors driving pesticide use in the EU. A PESTLE framework was used to structure the approach and identify potential factors across different influence areas.
Jun 24, 2022
Journal Article
Considering Responsible Behaviours as Part of Managing Threats to Space Systems
Space is becoming more contested, competed and congested. This report covers Wilton Park consultations on how to define and promote responsible behaviors in space, ahead of formal United Nations negotiations to try to reduce threats to space security.
May 17, 2022

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RAND Topic:
International Law

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Benjamin Boudreaux

Policy Researcher

Benjamin Boudreaux (he/him) is a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and a policy researcher at RAND working in the intersection of ethics, emerging technology, and human security. His current research focuses on the ethics of artificial intelligence technologies, including issues…
Douglas C. Ligor

Acting Director, Management, Technology, and Capabilities Program, RAND Homeland Security Research Division

Doug Ligor is the acting director of the Management, Technology, and Capabilities (MTC) Program within the Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD), and a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. His research areas include: homeland and national security law, regulation and policy,…

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