The deep seabed contains the minerals powering our energy transition, but nobody can prove what's down there or who's accountable when things go wrong. Welcome to the world's first major legal zone where access is easier than accountability.

Certain legal terms carry enormous moral weight, yet they are increasingly used in ways that stretch or blur their strict definitions. When these labels are applied without meeting the evidentiary standards international law requires, their meaning risks becoming diluted at the very moment clarity matters most.

The era of domestic courts as peripheral players in international law has ended. Across continents, national judges are asserting authority over global norms, extraterritorial conduct, and even military decisions taken far beyond their borders. Whether this transformation strengthens or destabilises the international legal order has become one of the most contentious debates in contemporary international law.