Eric Alter

Nov 16, 2024 | asiatimes.com | Eric Alter

To paraphrase the Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci, a great variety of “morbid symptoms” appear in times of crisis. One of them is the slow but constant erosion of international law. Over the last decades, the use of force in Iraq, then in Ukraine, and now in Gaza and Lebanon, not to mention many other less-publicized conflicts, has strained the standing of traditional law.

Oct 19, 2024 | thehill.com | Eric Alter |Nickolay Mladenov

Conflicts across the globe continue to fester, undermining stability in critical regions. The window for diplomacy appears to be narrowing, and the U.S., despite earnest efforts, is running out of time. Repeated appeals for peace, however persistent, have not been sufficient to break through the entrenched complexities of current crises. What was once touted as a “90 percent done” deal in Gaza now seems a distant reality.

Sep 10, 2024 | asiatimes.com | Eric Alter

With the revival of great power competition on an unprecedented scale, there seems to be little appetite for main actors to meet in the middle. This combustible environment makes global cooperation increasingly elusive and challenging. Among the most striking signs of these turbulent times is the assault on the rules-based international order, a long-time staple of Western foreign policy.

Sep 4, 2024 | opiniojuris.org | Eric Alter

[Eric Alter is the Dean of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi and Professor of International Law and Diplomacy. A former United Nations civil servant, he is also an affiliate Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Sciences Po in Paris.]The present period is one of extraordinary disruption in international affairs, turmoil in domestic politics, especially in the Western world, and disorientation in United States foreign policy.

Aug 19, 2024 | gulfnews.com | Eric Alter

With the revival of great power competition on an unprecedented scale, there seems to be little appetite for main actors to meet in the middle. Today’s combustible environment makes global cooperation increasingly elusive and challenging. Among the most striking signs of these turbulent times is the assault on the rules-based international order, a staple of Western foreign policy. In official discourses, the rules-based international order concept is used to mean many different things.