LAWS9667 · Law

The War in Ukraine and the Global Legal Order

Boston College Law School

The War in Ukraine is a decisive historical event that impacts the political and legal landscape of the world. This seminar invites students to read, reflect and discuss its complex causes and implications. By way of background, students will read about the history of Ukraine and Russia before and during the Soviet period, and after independence. They will also read about the geopolitical restructuring of the world political order in the early twenty-first century, including Russias positioning vis--vis the EU, NATO, the US, and China, as well as ongoing developments such as trade de-coupling and security regionalization. Students will study a variety of legal aspects of the war, including the annexation of Crimea, the Minks agreements and their constitutional implications in Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the sanctions regime, war crimes prosecution and the prospect of an international tribunal, Ukraines accession to the EU, Russias recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk, the grain export deal, the UN resolutions on Ukraine, the threat of nuclear weapons, and other issues that may come up as the war unfolds. There are no pre-requisites, everyone is welcome. Students from other departments may cross-register only by permission of the instructor. The seminar meets the Perspectives requirement. Final grade is based on reaction papers or answers to questions circulated well before the end of the semester.