The use of law as a weapon of war is increasingly being used to address bilateral and multilateral issues at the international stage. This predicament has recently become more pronounced as principles enshrined in the UN Charter come under increasing pressure. Through these means, states have come to weaponize law to weaken the legitimacy of adversarial States Therefore, through assessing the relevance, risks and importance of lawfare for India, the essay competition will seek to collate and collect the extent to which international law fare will challenge or enable the prospect of a rising India.
There have been several recorded incidences of lawfare strategies being used by States in furtherance of their national interest. Experts have indicated that China’s actions in the South China Sea Dispute in 2012, were tantamount to a lawfare strategy mixed with media warfare to shape the international perception to match with China’s view. This may reflect the States position towards international disputes, as a tendency to view the region through a prism of geopolitics and balance of power make decisions wary of a stand against China’s posturing.
Further, international lawfare holds the potential to climinate barriers to India’s growth prospects. For instance, excessive economic or technological dependence limits the spectrum of strategic choices available to India, and therefore, the use of proxy lawfare has allowed a slew of restrictions on Chinese technological inroads into India. This was also followed by the U.S. through barring the inclusion of technology made by Huawei in US. defense equipment. This is particularly relevant since it allows India to recognize and wage legal battles against its adversaries. Furthermore, lawfare may also be used to shape the environment for future military or diplomatic actions by India, such as by defining the boundaries of the Indian territory that it must defend. This, for instance, led to the Parliament updating the constitution by abolishing article 370. thereby preventing international legal battles. Similarly, international law fare would allow countries to change their legal stance, as India changed from its historical ‘balanced approach, and established a more proactive role. Thus, it could be discerned that international lawfare allows States to prospect from international litigations, allowing peace, stability and development.
Recognising the importance of lawfare in the overall national security and foreign policy interests of India, insightful and thought-provoking essays are invited on the topic. International Lawfare: Challenge or Prospect for Rising India. The participant may pick any contemporary or future areas where lawfare could be waged by or against India.
WORD LIMIT
Minimum 2500, Maximum 5,000 words
PRIZES
1st prize-7,500/- INR
2nd prize-5,000/- INR
3rd prize 2.500/- INR
GUIDELINES
Name of the File – RRU Law fare Essay
Competition- Author First and Last Name
File Format – MS Word (.doc/.docx)
Word limit- Minimum 2500 Maximum 5,000 words
Font type and size – Garamond – 12 pt (main body)- Justified
Citation format-Garamond-10 pt-Oscola -Justified
Eligibility-Students, Academicians, PhD Scholars, Research Scholars and Legal Practitioners.
Plagiarism- Authors are expected to be ethical with their submission and are expected to adhere to the best practices of academic submission. Only quality and non-plagiarised submissions would be accepted.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Send your entries to [email protected] by 15 August 2022
