If the New Global South seeks to build a more just and equitable world order, it must first articulate a clear vision of the kind of international law needed to support such a transformation.

The current state of global affairs offers no definitive blueprint for a future world order. This uncertainty can be seen as both a weakness and a strength – a weakness due to the lack of direction, but also a strength in the openness it allows for reimagining global norms. This is the starting point for a new working paper by NSI Research Affiliate Miloš Hrnjaz. His essay explores the role international law could play in shaping a future order driven by the values and aspirations of the New Global South.

The paper examines how international law might evolve in a new global order, shaped not only by established powers but also by emerging ones. It also addresses the structural inequalities in the application of international law, which often reflect underlying power dynamics. Miloš argues that while international law has often served to legitimise dominant interests, it has also historically been a tool for constraint and resistance. The decolonisation process, for example, illustrates how legal frameworks were mobilised to challenge exclusion and assert sovereignty.

Rather than treating international law as either an idealistic utopia or a cynical instrument of power, the NSI paper frames it as a space of imagination – a site where alternative futures can be envisioned. But to translate that vision into reality, the New Global South must begin by clearly defining the legal and political agenda it seeks to advance.