Michal Saliternik will present work-in-progress building on an article co-authored by her and Sivan Shlomo Agon.

Here is the abstract:

Against the backdrop of recent calls by scholars and practitioners for greater long-term thinking and planning in global governance amid rapid advancements and escalating global risks—from climate change to bioengineered pathogens and AI—this article examines the dilemma of time horizons in international law and institutions. It demonstrates that while long-term interests and challenges are not entirely absent from the international regulatory landscape, they are often overshadowed by a pronounced focus on short-term needs and concerns. Drawing on the burgeoning literature on longtermism, the article analyzes various epistemic, motivational, and institutional factors that drive international law- and policy-makers toward short-termism. It further explores strategies for mitigating this tendency with a view to extending decision-makers’ time perspectives and elevating long-term interests on the international agenda. The article argues, however, that while compelling reasons exist for extending regulatory timeframes in global governance, significant political, analytical, and normative objections to such an endeavor may also arise. After addressing these objections and potential rebuttals, the article concludes with a call for continued exploration of the problem of time horizons in international law and institutions in a search for a better balance between the legitimate concerns of the present and the potential interests of the future in an ever-more accelerated world.

Michal Saliternik is Assistant Professor of Law at Netanya Academic College, Israel.

Time and Place: Monday, 2 December 2024, 12:15 to 13:45, Thielallee 73, Raum 9, 14195 Berlin.

Participation upon prior registration: Please email to sekretariat.aust@rewiss.fu-berlin.de.