For centuries\, states have relied on inte lligence collection to navigate uncertainty and avert catastrophe\, while s imultaneously disavowing the legitimacy of the very conduct on which modern security and diplomacy depend. This tension has generated one of internati onal law’s most vexing questions: is espionage a lawful feature of the inte rnational order?
While much of the existing literature defaults to so vereignty-based accounts that offer limited explanatory and constraining po wer\, The International Law of Intelligence: The World of Spycr aft and the Law of Nations (Oxford University Press\, forthco ming 2026)\, by Dr. Asaf Lubin\, advances a different appr oach. It argues that espionage is governed by a distinct legal regime shape d by professional norms\, moral expectations\, and historically rooted patt erns of state practice\, offering a framework for understanding how interna tional law operates under conditions of secrecy and strategic competition.< /p>
Building on these themes\, Dr. Asaf Lubin will join us for a conversation marking the presentation of his forthcoming book. The conversation will be moderated by Iñaki Navarrete\, LL.M. Candidate at Harvard Law School. The event is organized by the Harvard International Law Journal (HILJ).
Lunch will be provided. Pleas e RSVP here.
About the author:
Dr. Asaf Lubin is an Associate Professor at Indiana University Ma urer School of Law. He holds an LL.M. and a J.S.D. from Yale Law School and is affiliated with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Ha rvard University and Yale Law School’s Information Society Project. His res earch focuses on the intersection of international law\, technology\, and n ational security.
If you have any questions\, please contact HILJ
's Outreach Chair\, Juan Jorge