The decades following the Second World War saw hopes rise that humanity had learnt its lesson and that a new age had begun, guided by a body of universal law based on human rights. International courts held to account those found guilty of crimes against humanity. Countries that had been long-standing enemies came together in Europe and elsewhere to cooperate on economic, legal, cultural, scientific and political challenges, as well as on the emerging global threats to the environment.

Scholars have studied international NGOs as advocates and service providers, but have neglected the growing importance of these actors in enforcing international law. NGO enforcement comprises a spectrum of actions from indirect (e.g., monitoring and investigation), to direct (e.g., prosecution and interdiction). We explain the rise of these practices by the growing gap between the increasing legalization of international politics, and states' limited capacity to enforce international laws, and by the diffusion of new technologies and legal changes facilitating non-state enforcement.

Professor Sir Adam Roberts, Senior Research Fellow in International Relations, University of Oxford, will deliver a Keynote Lecture on the contemporary decline of the liberal order, and call for a rethinking of liberal ideas and practices. The lecture will open a workshop the following day.

The term ‘liberal international order’ has become widely used – generally to refer to the international system that developed in the years after the end of the Cold War in 1989, or even to the whole period since the end of the Second World War in 1945.

‘A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-making. Foresight-Based Scientific Advice’ is a Palgrave book within the St Antony's Series, in which Dr Van Woensel addresses policy advice processes for parliaments, with a focus on science and technology related issues. Her tips for preparing trustworthy foresight-based policy advice are applicable to other policy matters.
Policy-makers prepare society for the future. Policy advisers can give substantial support to parliaments and politicians by preparing them pro-active, future-proof policy advice.

Merze Tate was a prolific expert on US diplomacy and in 1932, the first African-American woman to attend Oxford (she commented several times she was “the only colored American in the entire university, man or woman”), where she studied International Relations. She was also the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate in Government and International Relations from Harvard. In 1942 and 1948, she wrote two books on disarmament. Through her stints in several committees, Tate tried to tackle gender and racial discrimination in the academic system.