Legal Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century

Almost three years into Russia's illegal full scale invasion of Ukraine, approximately $300 billion in frozen Russian assets remain immobilized around the world, and no definitive public accounting of them exists. A culture of secrecy has developed around matters related to Russian state assets, complicating efforts to secure meaningful reparations for victims of the invasion. This project seeks to dispel that secrecy and improve the prospects of obtaining effective reparations for Russia's victims. Through rigorous legal analysis, the project has developed the Multilateral Asset Transfer model, which illuminates the legal power that nation states can exercise through their own domestic law to not only freeze but transfer Russian state assets to a global fund for Ukraine's reconstruction, using the international law of state countermeasures.

Rebuilding a country's physical and social infrastructure after conflict lays the foundation for durable peace and prevents a return to violence. Post-conflict environments are characterized by destroyed infrastructure, weakened institutions, displaced populations, and fractured social trust, all of which must be addressed to consolidate stability. Investing in reconstruction, inclusive governance, and social reconciliation helps restore trust in institutions and address the grievances that fuel instability. This project examines how reconstruction efforts can be designed and implemented to maximize their contribution to sustainable peace while avoiding pitfalls that risk reigniting conflict.

This project explores the past, present, and future of international law in the context of atrocity prevention. With the UN system under increasing strain, international law increasingly politicized, and mass atrocities rising globally, the project seeks to identify where international legal and institutional frameworks have succeeded, where they are failing, and how they must adapt to remain effective in the 21st century.