Episode 38: Non-intervention— past, present and future
From EJIL: The Podcast! by European Journal of International Law
October 16, 2025 · 51 min · Episode 38
About this episode
The episode explores the complexities of the non-intervention norm in international law and politics.
Nehal Bhuta & Megan Donaldson We see today flagrant breaches of the prohibitions on the threat or use of force, but also renewed pressure and scrutiny on a related but broader prohibition, the prohibition of intervention, forcible or otherwise. In some ways, it is this broader norm of non-intervention which presents the most deep-seated puzzles in international law and international politics. In a world of profound interdependence, when should states butt out of other states' business? Nehal Bhuta (Edinburgh) and Megan Donaldson (UCL) are joined by Marco Roscini (University of Westminster) and Frédéric Mégret (McGill University) to explore the past, present and future of this norm. Scholarship referred to in the episode includes Marco Roscini, International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention (2024); and Frédéric Mégret, Interference in Sovereign Affairs and the Discursive Economy of International Law (2025).
People in this episode
Guests: Nehal Bhuta, Megan Donaldson, Marco Roscini, Frédéric Mégret
Topics covered
- non-intervention
- international law
- sovereignty
- international politics
- state intervention
Keywords
- non-intervention
- international law
- sovereignty
- state intervention
- international politics
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Westminster, McGill University, UCL, Edinburgh
Books & works: International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention, Interference in Sovereign Affairs and the Discursive Economy of International Law
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