If An International Law Breaks In The Forest, Does Anyone Hear It? Good Thing Professors Are Listening

How do you hold countries accountable when they break international law? As the world gets smaller, we are increasingly counting on international law to help solve global challenges like human rights, disease, and climate change. Global governance institutions like the United Nations have limited ability to enforce laws. Though there are few international legal scholars working in any given area, the role of monitoring and enforcing international laws largely falls to them. Professor Steven Hoffman is a lawyer in the area of global health, and recent events including the Ebola crisis and cannabis legalization have demonstrated the challenges facing international law, and the importance of institutions that help to defend it.