Patryk I. Labuda

I am an assistant professor of international law and international relations at Central European University in Vienna. I was previously an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, and have held positions at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, New York University School of Law, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, University of Zurich, Polish Academy of Sciences, and Free University of Berlin.

Specialized in international (criminal) law, peace and security studies, and global history, I have two main areas of expertise: 1) how global governance institutions, especially international criminal tribunals and UN peace operations, impact domestic law and politics; 2) double standards in international law and Second World approaches to international law, which inform my work on shifts in the global order from a post-colonial Global South-East(ern European) perspective.

As a former practitioner, I support justice initiatives and promote exchanges between the Global South(s) and Global East(s), drawing on over a decade of work and research experience in Africa (with a regional focus on the law, politics and history of DR Congo, Central African Republic, and the Sudans). 

In 2024, I was elected to a four-year term on the Board of the European Society of International Law.

Je travaille en français et en anglais. Wykładam po polsku. 

Photo credit: International Nuremberg Principles Academy 2017

I have written over 30 publications and 50 shorter academic pieces. In addition to an award-winning book with Oxford University Press, my work has featured in prestigious journals like the Yale Journal of International Law, Leiden Journal of International Law, European Journal of International Law, Journal of International Criminal Justice, Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, Journal of Conflict and Security Law, Journal on the Use of Force and International Law, and leading academic presses (here). A regular contributor to mainstream and social media, my blog posts, journalistic articles, interviews, and podcasts can be accessed here

Follow my work on X (former Twitter).

TwitterLinkedIn

Al Jazeera

Radio France Internationale

Just Security

Justice Info

BOOK

Winner of the 2024 ABILA 'Best Book Award for a First-Time Author', my first book International Criminal Tribunals & Domestic Accountability. In the Court's Shadow (2023) can be ordered at OUP and Amazon. More at book project and a few blurbs:


'Labuda’s work is to law what Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro is to the canvas – Labuda illuminates, places candles in the darkness, and reveals what is obscured.' Mark A. Drumbl, Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University


'deftly exposes the paradox of the increasing turn to domestic prosecutions of international crimes... a must read for anyone interested in the future of international criminal law.' Charles C. Jalloh, Distinguished University Professor, Florida International University


'In offering both broad historical context and fine-grained case study illustration, Labuda expands our understanding of complementarity in both theory and practice... an eye-opening and essential read.'  Kim Thuy Seelinger, Research Associate Professor, Washington University and Special Adviser on Sexual Violence in Conflict to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court


'a superlative study that needs to be engaged with by analysts, policy-makers and practitioners of international criminal justice.' Tim Murithi, Institute for Justice & Reconciliation, Cape Town, Professor of African Studies, University of the Free State and Stellenbosch University in South Africa

CURRENT PROJECTS

Second World Approaches to International Law (SWAIL)

In search of SWAIL - Second World Approaches to International Law. In searching for SWAIL, this project takes as its point of departure that Eastern Europe occupies a liminal space within the discipline of international law. Neither of the ‘core’, nor of the ‘periphery’, the region occupies a liminal, semi-peripheral, and largely invisible mental space, that results in its ‘dual exclusion’ from both mainstream Western and non-Western approaches to international law. In recovering Eastern Europe’s place and role in international law, this project not only aims to develop a more nuanced understanding of international law’s past, present and future, and to unsettle some mainstream and critical narratives that have come to dominate the discipline in the last two decades; it aims also to foster bridges with scholars from other regions and is geared to countering imperialism by addressing epistemic injustice in international law vis-à-vis Eastern Europe.

See call for papers (closed).

Double Standards and International Law 

Double standards are ubiquitous within the study and practice of international law. Examples abound as states speak abstractly about the need for accountability and their commitment to international law but in practice act inconsistently in applying human rights standards, combatting transnational and international crimes, or making and enforcing the rules that govern trade and development. As wars continue to grip parts of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, many openly question or seek to remake features of the international system, resurrecting old and raising new challenges for global governance and multilateralism.

See call for papers (closed).

Stay in touch - sign up below for periodic updates about new articles, posts and other news