Wolfgang Kaleck: Die Stärke des Rechts versus das Recht des Stärkeren

In this much-vaunted turning point in history, the fundamental question arises as to whether international law is strong enough to withstand this storm, or whether the law of the strongest will simply prevail in the future.

Wolfgang Kaleck, one of the most internationally renowned human rights lawyers, argues in this polemic that international law and human rights must not be up for negotiation, precisely because, despite all the ambivalence, upheavals and setbacks, they represent immense progress on the path to a more just world. He not only reminds us that the dream of ‘eternal peace’ was born out of the trauma of war, but also shows how necessary it is, especially now, to hold on to this ‘utopian project’, what reforms of international law and its institutions could strengthen it, and how and with whom we can fight for it together.

On the occasion of the presentation of his new book “Die Stärke des Rechts versus das Recht des Stärkeren – Plädoyer für Völkerrecht und Menschenrechte” (The Strength of Law versus the Law of the Strongest – A Plea for International Law and Human Rights), Wolfgang Kaleck will talk to guests at HAU about human rights and the international legal order of peace, which has been under pressure since Trump’s attack on Venezuela, if not before.

But don’t times of change – and such a time is looming – also offer opportunities for positive change? In order to seize these opportunities, this evening will also feature discussions about new alliances and networks of social movements, institutional actors and experts, and from the fields of law, art, ecology, feminism and postcolonialism.

IN GERMAN