International Law's Belgian Jurists and WWI. Cosmopolitanism of an Elite, Globalization of a Country (Montreal International Colloquium, March 2014)

Our doctoral research is conducted at the University of Liege, under the supervision of Professor Philippe Raxhon (Contemporary History). This work falls within the interuniversity and interdisciplinary project “commemorating WWI” launched by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (French Community), the Steering Group of which is led by Professor Laurence Van Ypersele (Université Catholique de Louvain). The research focuses on the following topic: Experiences and remembrance of Belgian jurists on issues of international law during the First World War (1914-1918). Belgium, that had been neutral since its independence in 1831, soon became an active reflection centre and a land of innovation for international law, as shown by the foundation of the Institute of International Law (IDI) in Ghent in 1873. Belgium’s neutrality was violated in August 1914 and its territory, the only one, was occupied at 90% by the Germans, putting the country in a unique position that encouraged its International Law experts to revise their practices in view of their experiences and their remembrance of war. As a matter of fact, between 1918 and 1940, they held a prominent position on a global scale (LN, etc.). How the field of these law experts, its practices, its networks (European/American) and its international influence (1873-1940) evolved as a result of WWI lies at the heart of our thesis.