Does International Law Even Work?

Today the leaders of Israel, Russia, and Hamas all stand accused of war crimes. Yet it seems doubtful that these men will ever face justice, leaving some to question the power and purpose of international law.

Kenneth Roth is an American legal expert. For 30 years, he was the director of Human Rights Watch, in which time his organisation exposed hundreds of human rights abuses and pressured governments to cease committing them.

In conversation with Ash Sarkar, Roth discusses how human rights law actually works on the ground: explaining how exposure, shame, and the shaping of public opinion are essential tools for this work.

They also discuss Roth’s young life as a child of a refugee from Nazi Germany, how democracies are responding to mass migration, and the age-old question of whether political violence can be legally or morally justified.