such a vibrant audience tonight I’ve
heard some great things backstage so I
want to get to know this audience myself
you know I think it’s really important
for a presenter and her audience to know
each other so let’s start with a few
icebreaker questions I’ll ask you some
stuff and you raise your hand when you’d
like to answer all right so let’s start
with something simple gentle let’s ease
into it how many people have broken a
law today okay we have a few daring
individuals so let’s let’s think about
this in terms of the theme of this event
how many people well how many of you do
you think will break the law in the next
10 years raise your hand if you think
you will okay at least we have an honest
crowd let’s put a number to this feeling
how many times do you think you will
break the law in the next 10 years okay
I’ll say a few numbers and you raise
your hand when it’s applicable you’ll
break zero loss in the next ten years
great I love that okay ten laws a
hundred a thousand ten thousand more a
huge number okay okay I see you okay all
right
well according to Harvey silver gate the
average person will break three laws
every single day which amounts to around
eleven thousand laws per person over the
next 10 years and that’s an astounding
figure I mean most people didn’t even
think they broke a lot today so that
what what does that say about us I mean
is it that we’re horrible people because
then I’m really glad that I’m on stage a
little bit safe and you guys can just
like sort yourselves out but yeah he
thinks it’s because that people just
aren’t aware that these laws apply in
this particular circumstance or that
they’re unaware of why this rise
relevant so that doesn’t say anything
bad about us however there’s somebody
else who has to follow the law and if
this person follows the law it actually
has a lot of impact on our lives
can you think about who this person is
feel free to shout it out hint hint
this person follows international law
anyone yep
countries countries have to follow a lot
they follow international law so how
does the country how do countries
compared to the average citizen do you
think they follow more laws an equal
amount or less raise your hand do you
think they’ve break more laws than the
average citizen
okay well this audience has no faith in
humanity that’s what we’ve established
tonight how do you how many people think
that they break an equal amount okay how
many people think that countries are
very law-abiding they do what they’re
supposed to do they’re way better off
than us okay we get a few more hand
raised actually this minority crowd is
the right one according to Louie hencken
almost all nations observe almost all
principles of international law and
almost all of their political
obligations almost all of the time so he
actually suggests a really great future
he’s saying that we’re living in a in
the prime of when international law is
abided by and there’s an amazing culture
but when somebody says almost that much
I think it raises a few flags because
that implies said there are instances
when laws are broken and as we know when
countries break laws it’s not just one
person that’s involved it’s entire
nations
it’s huge populations so the reality is
is that countries break laws and they do
so not because like us they don’t know
laws apply
I mean countries have lots of advisors
at their disposal
clearly they’re doing so intentionally
countries break laws when it’s prudent
and they follow them they break them
whenever it’s convenient which is
something that will weigh down on our
future because in the next ten years
we’re gonna be forced to cooperate as a
species we’re gonna have to deal with
issues like climate change
technological advancement
humanitarianism and these are not solved
in isolation
these are solved together as an
international community and that can’t
happen if we’re violating trust that
can’t happen if we’re breaking
international law whenever one feels
it’s more convenient for the other and
forcing everybody else into a horrible
future so what do we do how do we choose
to follow or not follow international
law because these kind of things they
happen far away from us we’re really far
from these decisions when they’re made
so what do we do I mean actually we’re
not that far from these decisions raise
your hand if you’ve read a newspaper
headline in just as far as you can
remember that reads something like blank
blank country is in violation of blank
convention or blank country is in
violation of blank treaty blank country
violates blank and turn ICJ ruling
have you seen stuff like this before
yeah we’ve all seen it and do you really
own does anybody in this room think
about why countries do those things do
we think about the consequences this has
for a future because our opinion matters
our opinion shapes what the what our
world leaders think about it shapes how
we as a culture think about
international law because the reality is
is that we’re one of the few generations
that have ever had to think about
international law international law is
very new and it’s but it’s very relevant
to our future so today let’s think about
international law let’s solve this
problem let’s walk out all knowing how
to read headlines and how to think about
what our respective countries do so
let’s think let’s let’s start with
something chill it start with something
easy something we’re all familiar with
gratitude I want you to think about it
who are you grateful for start listing
it think your mom your dad your
wonderful teachers you know lots of
people we’re grateful for lots of people
so when you’re making this list do you
include your country in that list do you
include your fellow countrymen your
government do they make it onto your
list raise your hand if yes okay yes
that’s the response I was looking for
don’t think about it but it’s actually
not it’s it might be we should be
thinking about this kind of stuff
because actually Socrates we all know
Greek philosopher when he was sentenced
to death by a jury he chose to follow
that ruling he chose to he chose to die
because he said one of the reasons at
least that he said was he’s grateful to
his countrymen he owes it to them to do
this but we don’t have those feelings
should we should we have these feelings
according to gratitude theory if you
have benefited from someone then you or
you should be grateful to them and
because you are grateful you have an
obligation to them and if you have an
obligation to someone you should act in
their interests you should not do
anything that hurts them so if we apply
this to international law if you as a
person or if you as a country have
benefited from international law then
you have an obligation to service the
international community you have an
obligation to follow international law
and keep to your word and help foster a
productive environment but is is that
the whole picture I mean is everybody in
the crowd convinced everyone’s gonna go
home be like yes I should be grateful
I’m gonna follow every law there is on
the planet no okay well I see that the
audience is not convinced and for good
reason because gratitude usually stems
from sacrifice when someone sacrifice
something for us that is when we feel
grateful because we know that something
has been given up for us to accomplish
these things well the international
community doesn’t necessarily make
sacrifices for one specific country we
don’t necessarily an entire nation
cannot feel grateful so this theory
actually fails to give us a good role
model for the next 10 years but what it
does do effectively is give us an
emotional response it connects us
emotionally to international law and
makes it seem less distant more personal
to us but where this theory leaves off
others pick up we have another one this
theory feels that what why do you think
why do you think laws are created what
is the purpose of laws is it a
to feel to help humanity is it be fill
in the options guys you’re creatives
fill in these options it’s actually a
it’s a most people think that countries
countries create laws to benefit people
right that’s when we think about the UN
the UN is actually meeting right now we
think that wow we’re making progress as
humanity we’re accomplishing things and
that’s that’s our hope and so and so
some scholars argue that we should
follow international law because this is
an amazing goal we should help follow
laws that help accomplish these goals
and while this is the ideal version it’s
not the reality the reality is is that
international law is still largely
dictated by more powerful wealthy
countries and so international law and
treaties favor certain states and not
others other states have to compromise
some of their agency in order to follow
international law so this doesn’t
actually explain why we should follow
international life it’s not helping us
but that’s okay but this theory does
tell us is that we have to look to a
role we have to look to a future we have
to think about the models of why we are
following international law it’s not as
simple as what the lies accomplishing
today it’s about what the law is telling
us and what moral reactions we have to
law in the future but we have one final
theory that helps explain where this
theory also leaves off um the third is
no name I like to call it the
cooperative theory to make myself feel
better
um but yeah what this theory states is
that international law shouldn’t be
followed for the merit of oh I’m
following this law because this is what
it’s accomplishing and this is the
reasons as to what its resulting in no
it argues that the whole point of
international law the whole point of
following international law is that it
creates a culture of cooperation it
creates a culture in which countries
enter more multilateral instead of
bilateral treaties it creates a culture
in which countries are accountable for
the laws they make because they will be
required to upkeep them it creates a
culture in which accountability
increases and thereby creates a society
in which our futures are better looked
after
so ultimately none of these theories
actually help paint the whole picture
and this is true because it’s called the
problem of political obligation today
the academic community doesn’t have a
single answer for you and I as to why we
should follow the law but still you and
I do it we follow laws because we think
there’s some merit to it right and this
is the discussion we have to have with
international law the answer isn’t out
there for us it’s an answer that we have
to develop individually because that’s
just how it is
we aren’t necessarily taught in school
that you should follow law because of
these in these theories we do it because
it’s an organic feeling that develops
it’s a culture we’ve decided on a
society because we’ve had laws for all
these years and that is the conversation
we have to have today if we’re going to
have a culture of international
cooperation in the future so when
everyone goes home and everyone sees a
new headline set says blank person has
violated international law think about
not Oh what is this amounting to right
now think about why they should have
followed or not followed international
law in the next ten years and what
that’s gonna say for you and I thank you [Applause]