Call for Papers: “The Use of Force in Recent Conflicts”, Abstract Submission Deadline- April 15, 2026
Symposium on “The Use of Force in Recent Conflicts”
CANADIAN YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
The Canadian Yearbook of International Law (CYIL) is soliciting papers for a symposium on “The Use of Force in Recent Conflicts.” The prohibition of the use of force, enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, remains a foundational principle of international law. Yet recent and ongoing events have placed this legal framework under renewed strain, raising acute questions about its interpretation, application, and enforcement in contemporary practice.
The symposium seeks to critically assess how recent conflicts are reshaping or even sidelining the law governing the use of force and to examine the role of adjudicatory bodies in clarifying, contesting, or recalibrating the applicable legal framework.
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
. The legality of the use of force (jus ad bellum) in recent and ongoing conflicts, including Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, the Red Sea, the Sahel, Venezuela, and the Middle East, among many others, and the use of force involving transnational armed groups
. Contemporary interpretations of self-defence, including imminence, necessity, proportionality, and collective self-defence
. The use of force against non-State actors and debates surrounding attribution and the “unwilling or unable” doctrine
Intervention (and counter-intervention) by invitation and contested claims of consent
. The current status of the “responsibility to protect” doctrine
The threat or use of force against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
. The role of the UN Security Council, including the legal consequences of vetoes, deadlock, and unilateral action
The contribution of ICJ contentious and advisory proceedings to the law on the use of force
. The relevance of cyber operations, hybrid warfare, and emerging technologies in recent conflicts
. Accountability for unlawful uses of force, including remedies and reparations under the law of State responsibility
. The recent overt challenges to the relevance of international law in governing recourse to force.
Submission details
Prospective authors are invited to submit an abstract of up to 500 words by April 15, 2026 to cyil- editor@uottawa.ca.
Those selected will be invited to present their paper at the Young Scholars’ Workshop to be held at the University of Ottawa in the fall of 2026, in the margins of the Annual Conference of the Canadian Council on Intemational Law, where they will receive constructive feedback from senior scholars and practitioners. Authors will then submit their articles for consideration by the Canadian Yearbook of International Law. Subject to favourable peer review, articles submitted as part of the symposium will appear in Volume 65 of the Yearbook in 2027.
For more details, refer here
