Five Decades of International Law
Reflections on Evolution, Justice, and the Future
THE AUTHOR:
Tiffany Lam, Strategic Communications & AI Ethics Officer at Jus Mundi
On 11 February 2026, Professor Alain Pellet joined Jus Mundi’s CEO and co-founder, Jean-Rémi de Maistre, for Hoche Hour, a speaker series featuring exceptional thinkers at the intersection of law, technology, and global affairs.
With more than 70 cases before the International Court of Justice (the “ICJ“), former membership on the UN International Law Commission, and past presidency of the Institut de Droit International, Professor Pellet has spent five decades at the highest levels of public international law.
The conversation covered the full arc of his career from breakthrough cases to his critique of investment arbitration, and from reflections on international law’s limits to urgent warnings about the current geopolitical moment.
When States Come Calling: Client Relationships at the Highest Level
Professor Pellet’s self-description remains consistent after five decades: “I am, first of all, a professor.” But within one remarkable week in the late 1980s, he was retained for two landmark cases that would define his practice: Nicaragua v. United States of America and Burkina Faso/Mali.
The Burkina Faso case introduced him to President Thomas Sankara. Their first meeting began with Sankara arriving with a gun and placing it on the table, creating tension between the two. “After a time I laughed and I said, ‘Well, Mr. President, we must speak.’ And he said, ‘Oh yes, we must.'” That moment of breaking through formality to frank dialogue would become the foundation of his approach to representing states.
“You must be frank with the client. You must first of all say to the client, whether it is a sovereign state or not: I don’t agree. Or, you are wrong.”
Professor Pellet draws a sharp distinction: he represents states, not governments, though governments sometimes conflate the two. He does not mince words about what makes effective counsel: frankness and faithfulness.
His philosophy on how to maintain professional integrity while yielding to political realities, and why preparing clients to lose is sometimes the most important work—all offer rare insight into the highest levels of international legal practice.
Hear Professor Pellet discuss these client relationships in depth starting at 00:17:42.
“Law is not made to stop wars”
“Law is not made to stop the weapons. I have seen no case where there was an open armed conflict which was fit to go to the court.”
Professor Pellet shared that he has advised clients not to bring cases to the ICJ when situations are too tense. Yet he continues to take on cases involving active armed conflicts—what he calls “desperation cases when you see that nothing, nothing, nothing can work”. His reasoning reveals both the possibilities and profound limits of international law in such moments.
But Professor Pellet harbours no illusions about the current geopolitical moment. His warnings for Europe proved stark, and his historical comparisons chilling.
Where, then, does hope lie? In domestic political action. “The fight is not so much at the international level”, he argued. “What is important is what happens inside the countries.”
Explore his full discussion of international law’s limits at 00:30:00, his views on public opinion’s role at 00:36:00, and his thoughts on redesigning the international legal system at 00:41:10.
The Seven Cardinal Sins of Investment Arbitration
Few topics elicited stronger reactions from Professor Pellet than investor-State dispute settlement (”ISDS”). His article, The Seven Cardinal Sins of Investment Dispute Settlement, published in Jus Mundi Arbitration Review (Volume 1, Issue 1, 2024), offers a comprehensive critique of the system.
In the conversation, he highlighted two key objections: legitimacy, particularly the double standard when Western countries began facing ISDS claims themselves, and the financial reality. “It is all about money”, Professor Pellet stated. Having served as arbitrator in ISDS cases, he refuses to award excessive legal fees and extends his critique to practice norms he finds wasteful and unnecessary.
The standing ovation anecdote captures the system’s self-awareness. When invited to speak at ISDS conferences and calling practitioners ‘corrupted by money’, the response is enthusiastic applause:
“I always finished by saying ‘you are corrupted by money’. And they applaud [enthusiastically], nearly a standing ovation.”
Watch his full investment arbitration critique starting at 00:46:19.
Defending the ICJ’s Legacy and Nominating It for the Nobel Prize
Not all of Professor Pellet’s reflections carried pessimistic notes. On the ICJ’s achievements, his assessment turned positive.
“The court is accepted as saying the law”, he explained. This acceptance stems from consent—states voluntarily submit to ICJ jurisdiction and accept the consequences. More significantly, he views the ICJ as international law’s best law-maker. “There are a lot of holes in international law and you don’t have a law maker in international law”, he noted. “I think the best law making in international law is probably the ICJ.” The court’s jurisprudence fills gaps in a system that lacks a proper legislature, developing principles case by case.
This conviction motivated his recent initiative: nominating the ICJ for the Nobel Peace Prize. The timing was partly strategic, but the motivation was genuine—recognising the court’s consistent role as neutral arbiter in a fragmenting world.
Hear more about the ICJ’s achievements at 00:56:24.
The Hoche Hour Questions: Wisdom for the Next Generation
Professor Pellet’s closing reflections offered the intellectual foundations of his practice. Two book recommendations: La Politique Juridique Extérieure by Guy de Lacharrière and Roberto Ago’s reports to the International Law Commission transformed his understanding that law is not a problem of contract, but rather a system of norms for governing societies.
On justice itself, he distinguished between the institutional and philosophical. Institutionally, justice means courts and tribunals where disputes can be resolved in civilized ways. Philosophically, justice requires transcending base instincts. The goal is “to behave in a decent way… I think that it is no more a problem of law. It’s really a problem of moral ethics”.
Hear his book recommendations at 01:29:42, future speaker suggestions at 01:34:00, and his definition of justice at 01:36:30.
Why These Conversations Matter
In an era of rising geopolitical instability, understanding international law’s role—and limits—has never been more critical. Hoche Hour creates space for these essential dialogues. By bringing together exceptional thinkers at the intersection of law, technology, and global affairs, we are building a resource for the legal community that goes beyond sanitised panel discussions. Professor Pellet’s conversation exemplifies this approach: five decades of experience distilled into candid reflections on what works, what does not, and what practitioners can do when international law reaches its limits.
Each Hoche Hour conversation will explore different facets of how law, technology, and global justice intersect—and what it means for our community navigating an increasingly complex world.
Watch the full 90-minute conversation and subscribe to Jus Mundi’s YouTube channel to catch future Hoche Hour events and legal tech insights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iwaiN1IUU4
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About Jus Mundi
Founded in 2019 and recognized as a mission-led company, Jus Mundi is a pioneer in the legal technology industry dedicated to powering global justice through artificial intelligence. Headquartered in Paris, with additional offices in New York, London, and Singapore. Jus Mundi serves over 150,000 users from law firms, multinational corporations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in more than 80 countries. Through its proprietary AI technology, Jus Mundi provides global legal intelligence, data-driven arbitration professional selection, and business development services.
*The views and opinions expressed by authors are theirs and do not necessarily reflect those of their organizations, employers, or Daily Jus, Jus Mundi, or Jus Connect.
