About Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks
A podcast of informal conversation about topical issues in international law, life in academia and whatever else is on our mind. Hosted by Douglas Guilfoyle, Juliette McIntyre, Tamsin Paige, Imogen Saunders, and Nitna Tzouvala.
Art: Kat Weir (https://www.instagram.com/katweir/)
Banner Art: Tim Henderson (@pretendbeard.bsky.social)
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of Au Lait
88. Northern Ireland and International Law: Borders, Brexit and the Constitutional Life of Ireland
Imogen Saunders is joined by Professor Aoife O'Donoghue (Queen's University Belfast), Professor Colin Murray (Newcastle University) and Dr Sylvia de Mars (Newcastle University) to discuss the distinctive constitutional and international legal position of Northern Ireland.
The conversation explores the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, including self-determination, power-sharing, rights and equality, and the complex relationships between Northern Ireland, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The discussion then turns to Brexit, considering the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework, the Irish Sea border, and the challenge of reconciling Brexit with the commitments made in 1998.
The guests also examine Northern Ireland's post-Brexit human rights architecture, including the European Convention on Human Rights, EU law, and the Agreement's non-diminution commitment. Finally, Colin Murray and Sylvia de Mars discuss their work on governance and the politics of scale, and what Northern Ireland reveals about the relationship between international law, regional integration and local institutions.
As always, the episode ends with discussion of the guests' current research - and whether anyone ever really escapes Northern Ireland and international law.
Art: Kat Weir (www.instagram.com/katweir/)
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
23 Aug 2026
87. Gender, Perpetrators and the Violence of International Criminal Law
In this episode, Tamsin Philippa Paige is joined by Olivera Simić and Caitlin Biddolph to explore the international criminal courtroom as a site not only of justice, but also of punishment, power and violence.
Drawing on their work on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the conversation asks what international criminal law is actually trying to achieve when it punishes perpetrators, and what may be lost when punishment is privileged over rehabilitation and accountability. It also considers the courtroom itself as a potentially violent institutional space, and examines feminist approaches to women who participate in atrocities, including the difficulties that can arise when assumptions about gender, victimhood and agency collide.
The discussion also reflects on the very different personal and intellectual paths that brought Olivera and Caitlin to these questions, including Olivera's experiences of war and displacement in the former Yugoslavia and the relationship between lived experience, scholarship and the pursuit of justice.
Recommendations
Olivera Simić, Madam War Criminal
https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/madam-war-criminal/
Caitlin Biddolph, Queering Governance and International Law: The Case of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
https://academic.oup.com/book/59490
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
9 Aug 2026
86. When mining companies sue for access to the seabed
In this episode, Douglas Guilfoyle speaks with Dr Aline Jaeckel and Dr Daiana Seabra Venancio about recent developments in deep seabed mining before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the International Seabed Authority.
The conversation revisits the origins of the seabed mining regime, the “common heritage of humankind” idea, and the changing politics around exploitation and moratorium calls. It then turns to the ISA’s current work on the mining code, environmental governance, and contractor compliance.
A major focus is the Nori/TOML proceedings and the wider questions they raise about due process, enforcement, and the capacity of the international legal framework to regulate seabed mining effectively.
Music: Sam Barsh, Oils of au Lait
Who has been a guest on Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Imogen Saunders
Tim Stephens
Ntina Tzouvala
Juliette McIntyre
Matteo Bassetti
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
25 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 27 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
34
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact Called to the Bar: International Law over Drinks
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