The Hague Academy of International Law - 2026 Centre for Studies and Research

Cyberspace is indispensable. Nowadays, almost every aspect of human life depends on cyberspace. Therefore, ensuring that cyberspace is safe, secure, peaceful, and accessible is essential to preserving international peace and security, protecting human rights, and promoting sustainable development and economic growth. The structure and the operation of cyberspace also challenges many of the traditional concepts, rules, and regimes of public and private international law. Nonetheless, international law is an invaluable tool for the effective governance of cyberspace.

The 2026 Centre for Studies and Research of The Hague Academy of International Law will analyse how public and private international law should be rethought in the context of cyberspace. Selected researchers will work together to study Cyberspace and International Law in relation to the following themes:

• Cyberspace as an International Legal Order?
• A Primer on Cyberoperations and Cybercrime: The Technology and the Threat Landscape
• How is Artificial Intelligence Changing Cyberoperations?
• Sea, Space, Cyber: Exploring Interactions, Gaps, and Overlaps of Legal Regimes
• Sovereignty and Territoriality in Cyberspace
• Due Diligence in Cyberspace
• Public and Private Governance of Cyberspace

• Cyberespionage: Lawful, Unlawful, Unregulated?
• Pushing the Envelope of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter: What is “Force” in Cyberspace
• The Application of International Humanitarian Law in Cyberspace: Proportionality, Distinction, and the Definition of “Attacks” and “Objects”
• Information Operations in War and in Peacetime
• Attribution of Conduct in Cyberspace: Anonymity, Burdens of Proof, and Threshold of Control over Private Actors
• Collective Countermeasures in Cyberspace: Questions of Law and Policy

• Jurisdiction in and over Cyberspace
• Rule of Law and Due Process in Cyberspace
• International Contracts in Cyberspace
• Dispute Resolution and Alternative Dispute Resolution in and through Cyberspace
• Judicial Cooperation and Cyberspace
• Competition in the Cyberspace Market

• Protecting International Data and Personality Rights in Cyberspace
• Human Rights in Cyberspace (Access to the Internet, Freedom of Information, Freedom of Speech, Privacy, Right to be Forgotten etc.)
• Human Rights Obligations of Big-Tech
• Content Moderation and Corporate Due Process? Assessing Meta’s Oversight Board Track Record
• The Right to Development and Bridging Digital Divides

Introducing the Centre

As soon as the Summer Courses end, the Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations starts. Established in 1957, the Centre addresses a different topic of international law each year, chosen by the Curatorium. It brings together a group of 12 English-speaking and a group of 12 French-speaking researchers for a period of three weeks, who individually cover a particular aspect of the topic under the guidance of two professors. A joint research project is thus carried out, from which the best contributions are published in the Academy’s Centre book series. 

Through this programme, the Academy aims to make an additional contribution to the study of international law. Taking part in the Centre provides participants with the opportunity to contribute to an in-depth legal analysis of topics that have caught the attention of the international community, and to add a prestigious publication to their names – something that is particularly relevant for those who (intend to) pursue an academic career.