The Concept of International Law in Context

John H. Currie

John H. Currie is professor emeritus of law at the University of Ottawa, where for many years he taught public international law, the use of force by states, the law of armed conflict, constitutional law, torts, and legal research and writing. He has also designed and taught courses on the theory and practice of public international law for the Canadian Foreign Service Institute and at Queen’s University’s Bader International Study Centre in the United Kingdom. The author or co-author of several books, Professor Currie’s research and writing interests include various aspects of public international law, with a particular focus on its interaction with domestic legal systems. The holder of degrees in astronomy and physics from the University of Toronto and in law from the universities of Ottawa and Cambridge, he has been president of the Canadian Council on International Law; scholar-in-residence in the Legal Affairs Bureau of Canada’s (then) Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; vice-dean (academic) in the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa; and vice-president (governance) of the University of Ottawa. He is a member of the bar of Ontario and currently serves as editor-in-chief of The Canadian Yearbook of International Law and as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Craig Forcese

Craig Forcese is a professor in the Faculty of Law (Common Law Section) at the University of Ottawa, where he teaches public international law, national security law, administrative law, and public law. Much of his present research and writing relates to international law, national security, and democratic accountability. Prior to joining the law school faculty, he practised law with the Washington, DC, office of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, specializing in international trade law. Professor Forcese has law degrees from the University of Ottawa and Yale University, a BA from McGill, and an MA in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. He is a member of the bars of Ontario, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Joanna Harrington

Joanna Harrington is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, where she teaches public international law, international human rights law, international criminal law, and international dispute settlement. She often writes on matters of foreign relations law, human rights, and transnational crime. She has held visiting appointments at the University of New South Wales, the University of Oxford, and the University of Texas at Austin, and is a past recipient of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers Prize for Academic Excellence. A past scholar-in-residence with the Legal Affairs Bureau of Canada’s (then) Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, she has represented Canada in the negotiation of new human rights instruments at the United Nations and the Organization of American States. From 2018–21, she served as a part-time member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. She holds a BA from the University of British Columbia, a JD from the University of Victoria, and a PhD in law from the University of Cambridge.

Valerie Oosterveld

Valerie Oosterveld is a professor in the Faculty of Law at Western University, where she teaches, inter alia, public international law, capstone in international law, and outer space law. She holds a BSocSc from the University of Ottawa, an LLB from the University of Toronto, and an LLM and JSD from Columbia Law School. Her research and writing focus on gender issues within international criminal justice and, more recently, outer space law. Before joining the faculty in 2005, Professor Oosterveld served in the Legal Affairs Bureau of Canada’s (then) Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. In this role, she provided legal advice on international criminal accountability for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. She was a member of the Canadian delegation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) negotiations, as well as the subsequent ICC Assembly of States Parties and the 2010 Review Conference of the Rome Statute of the ICC. She is a member of the Ontario bar.