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International Legal Studies Program

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Charney Distinguished Lecture

The Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law honors Professor Charney, one of the world's preeminent experts on international law, who held the Lee S. & Charles A. Speir Chair at Vanderbilt Law School. The series funds academic lectures and other presentations on international law by distinguished figures in the field.

Upcoming Event

  • Dorothy Shea.

    Monday, August 31, 2026

    12:10 pm Flynn Auditorium - Vanderbilt Law School

    2026-27 Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law

    Join us for the annual Charney Lecture with Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Former Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations. Shea's lecture is titled "Diplomacy in a Time of Disorder: Reflections on 34 years in the foreign service." 

    Register Here

Previous Charney Lectures

2024-25 Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law

Ambassador Roger Carstens, “Ending Hostage Diplomacy"

Ambassador Roger D. Carstens detailed the reality of hostage diplomacy today and U.S. efforts to mitigate the practice.

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2023-24 Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law

Ambassador Gautam Rana, “The Fight Against Disinformation”

Gautam Rana '97 discussed the EU’s recently passed Disinformation Act and differences in the ways various governments restrict free expression.

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  • 2022-23: Pramila Patten Pramila Patten, United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations

    Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, the United Nations Office of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, "Evolution and Impact of the Mandate on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence."

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  • 2019-20: Paul C. Ney, Jr. '84

    Paul C. Ney, Jr. '84 (MBA'84), General Counsel at the Department of Defense, "The Rule of Law in International Security Affairs: A U.S. Defense Department Perspective"

  • 2018-19: Judge Howard Morrison

    Judge Howard Morrison, International Criminal Court based in The Hague, Netherlands, "International Criminal Justice - The Road Less Traveled"

  • 2016-17: Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

    Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "Global Challenges to Human Rights"

  • 2014-15: Sir Michael Wood

    Sir Michael Wood, a senior fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Lauterpacht Centre for International Law and a member of the International Law Commission, London, “International Organizations and Customary Law”

  • 2012-13: Fatou B. Bensouda

    Fatou B. Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, The Hague, "Reflections from the International Criminal Court Prosecutor"

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