LCP4801
Assignment 2
Semester 2
2025
, LCP4801 Assignment 2 2025 (semester 2)
Question 1
1.1 What does the acronym TWAIL stand for?
• Answer: TWAIL stands for Third World Approaches to International Law. It
represents both an intellectual framework and a political movement that centers
perspectives from the Global South, often referred to as the “Third World.”
1.2 What informed the development of the TWAIL movement?
The emergence of TWAIL was shaped by historical, political, and intellectual factors,
notably:
1. Colonial legacy and persistent power imbalances – the role of colonialism
and imperialism in forming international law motivated critiques of the system’s
structural bias toward Western states.
2. Disillusionment with the post-colonial international order – newly
independent states found themselves still marginalized within institutions like the
UN and the global economic system.
3. Intellectual grounding in Critical Legal Studies (CLS), post-colonialism, and
related theories – TWAIL scholars drew on these schools to question the
claimed neutrality of law and deconstruct entrenched Eurocentric narratives.
1.3 What are the objectives of TWAIL?
TWAIL pursues several interlinked goals aimed at transforming international law:
• Critiquing international law’s oppressive legacy – exposing how law has
perpetuated Western dominance over non-Western peoples.
• Enhancing Third World participation – creating space for the Global South to
shape international legal norms.
1|Page
Assignment 2
Semester 2
2025
, LCP4801 Assignment 2 2025 (semester 2)
Question 1
1.1 What does the acronym TWAIL stand for?
• Answer: TWAIL stands for Third World Approaches to International Law. It
represents both an intellectual framework and a political movement that centers
perspectives from the Global South, often referred to as the “Third World.”
1.2 What informed the development of the TWAIL movement?
The emergence of TWAIL was shaped by historical, political, and intellectual factors,
notably:
1. Colonial legacy and persistent power imbalances – the role of colonialism
and imperialism in forming international law motivated critiques of the system’s
structural bias toward Western states.
2. Disillusionment with the post-colonial international order – newly
independent states found themselves still marginalized within institutions like the
UN and the global economic system.
3. Intellectual grounding in Critical Legal Studies (CLS), post-colonialism, and
related theories – TWAIL scholars drew on these schools to question the
claimed neutrality of law and deconstruct entrenched Eurocentric narratives.
1.3 What are the objectives of TWAIL?
TWAIL pursues several interlinked goals aimed at transforming international law:
• Critiquing international law’s oppressive legacy – exposing how law has
perpetuated Western dominance over non-Western peoples.
• Enhancing Third World participation – creating space for the Global South to
shape international legal norms.
1|Page
