Iain Scobbie
About/Bio
Iain Scobbie is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Manchester, Co-Director of the Manchester International Law Centre, and Visiting Professor of International Law at SOAS, University of London, where he was previously the Sir Joseph Hotung Research Professor in Law, Human Rights, and Peace Building in the Middle East. He studied at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, and at the Australian National University.
Recently Published
Prolonged Occupation and Article 6(3) of the Fourth Geneva Convention: Why the International Court Got It Wrong Substantively and Procedurally
June 16, 2015
Iain Scobbie
I recently gave a paper on prolonged occupation at a UN Roundtable on Legal Aspects of the Question of Palestine. In the law of armed conflict, the notion of “prolonged occupation” is absent from the governing international instruments. It has been little discussed in commentaries, and Adam Roberts cautions that attempting to define…
The Francis Lieber Prize
October 23, 2014
Iain Scobbie
The Francis Lieber Prize is awarded annually by the American Society of International Law’s Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict to the authors of publications which the judges consider to be outstanding in the field of law and armed conflict. Both monographs and articles (including chapters in books of essays) are eligible for consideration, as the…
The UK House of Commons calls for Palestine to be recognised as a State.
October 14, 2014
Iain Scobbie
Yesterday, the UK House of Commons overwhelmingly adopted a resolution, by 274 votes to 12, which stated that “this House believes that the government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel”, which was amended to include the words “as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution”. This resolution (or motion) is not binding…
Popular articles by Iain Scobbie
Justice Levy’s Legal Tinsel: The Recent Israeli Report on the Status of the West Bank and Legality of the Settlements
September 6, 2012
Iain Scobbie
In February 2012, the Israeli government appointed a commission, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Levy, to “examine the status of building in Judea and Samaria”—in other words, to examine the legality of settlements, whether authorised by the Israeli government or not, in the West Bank. On 9 July 2012, the Commission’s report was released. The report is…
Prolonged Occupation and Article 6(3) of the Fourth Geneva Convention: Why the International Court Got It Wrong Substantively and Procedurally
June 16, 2015
Iain Scobbie
I recently gave a paper on prolonged occupation at a UN Roundtable on Legal Aspects of the Question of Palestine. In the law of armed conflict, the notion of “prolonged occupation” is absent from the governing international instruments. It has been little discussed in commentaries, and Adam Roberts cautions that attempting to define…
In Bed with Alcibiades: Theory and Doctoral research
January 4, 2013
Iain Scobbie
Douglas Guilfoyle has published a couple of very useful practical pieces here on the process of doing a PhD in international law (here and here). Professor Andrea Bianchi recently asked me to speak to the new law research students at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva on the importance of theory in…