Graduate Research Seminar

On Monday 2 May Massimo Lando (PhD in Law) will give the first of this term's Graduate Research Seminars with a talk entitled "The razor's edge on which hang suspended issues of war and peace": maritime boundaries in international law"

The delimitation of maritime boundaries is a complex issue in international law. There are over 200 boundaries in the world, only half of which have been settled. Moreover, the delimitation of maritime boundaries accounts for a significant portion of inter-state litigation. Despite the relevance and the political sensitivity of the topic, it cannot be said that the international law of maritime delimitation is settled; on the contrary, there are numerous open questions.

The seminar will try and give an overview of such questions, and of how they fit in my doctoral research. Special attention will be devoted to three topics on which research has already been conducted: equidistance, the single maritime boundary, and special or relevant circumstances. The seminar will also sketch the core methodological questions which one encounters when researching the formation of customary international law, which is the focus of my thesis.

The graduate research seminar provides an opportunity for our graduate students and research fellows to discuss their work before an astute and very friendly audience. Because this mixed audience includes not only expert insiders, but also intelligent and interested outsiders, this is also an opportunity for speakers to hone their communicative skills, and for the rest of us to be exposed to unfamiliar problems, methodologies and theories.

Meetings begin at 12:45 in the Senior Combination Room, where a free buffet lunch is provided. The speakers kick off at 1:00, and finish by 1:30, giving us a quarter of an hour for questions and discussion.