West imposes double standards on violation of intl law: scholar

FRANKFURT - The Russia-Ukraine conflict has exposed the double standards applied by Western countries in dealing with violation of international law, an international law expert wrote in a recent commentary in German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Among those who have long been concerned about interventionism by the United States and its allies, many see Western outrage over Russia's violation of international law as hypocritical, Nico Krisch, professor of international law at Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, pointed out.

"When Western interests are at stake, boundaries under international law play a minor role; but when the interests of others are at stake, those boundaries take center stage," he said.

Noting several military interventions by the West, the scholar said, "In the eyes of many experts, these interventions were not in accordance with international law."

However, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the West is portraying itself as the guardian of international law, Krisch argued.

He warned that if the impression prevails that double standards are widely applied, this will lead to a loss of credibility, which can strike at the heart of international law.

"If the West wants to uphold the rules of international law on the use of force and wants other parts of the world to uphold them as well, it will have to learn humility and self-restraint ... In the future, it can no longer afford to apply double standards in the new world order," Krisch said.