International Law as a “Fastpass” to 2025

The first time I went to law school in San Luis Potosi, Mexico (between 1996-2001), I took the class “International Law”. Back then, I wondered if I would ever work in that field or if there would come a time when the entire world would seek out international law in their daily lives. Now, in 2025, and as a law student for the second time in my life (now in Ohio) I would say that time has come. 

  International law arises from the need to regulate the needs and protect the rights of States and individuals involving international components. The purpose, as in any other body of law, is to avoid and resolve conflicts.  International law is derived from international custom (which I talked about in my previous article), the principles of law recognized by States, international treaties, and certain judicial decisions and doctrines.  

  Article 2 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in 1969 establishes that the term “treaty” means an international agreement concluded in writing between States and governed by international law. See Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, art. 2(a), ¶ 3 (May 23, 1969), 2 U.N.T.S. 1155. The topics of these treaties include trade agreements, human rights, immigration, territorial limits, and environment and resources. There are even treaties in Cyber Law regarding the regulation and protection of digital information, intellectual property, and structures from cyber threats. See U.N. Convention on Transnat’l Organized Crime (Nov. 15, 2000), 18 U.N.T.S. 2. 

In 2025, which is becoming a crucial year in terms of important changes in humanity, it is important to consider the impact that all these changes could have. Even if they take place in one country, all these changes to the individual will impact the collective in different ways. In 2025, transformation is a term that we hear daily, and laws will not be the exception. International law is at the beginning of a forced revolution.  

One of the main transformations that is taking place in particular right now is in the field of human rights. Amid the mobilization of people from one country to another, it is essential that individual rights are guaranteed during the transition process. Another area that is being impacted is that of trade agreements and the global economy. Tariffs are a key tool in countries’ trade policy. We still have conflicts that have been prolonged, such as Russia and Ukraine, or the tensions in the Middle East that are expanding, or possible confrontations between China and Taiwan, as well as the United States and Mexico over the issue of fentanyl control that can influence international agreements. Major trading powers in the world are currently redefining the parameters of new trade agreements and tariff rates without them becoming tools of political and economic pressure for any country.  

  Another important issue to discuss is the changes to which artificial intelligence will have to adjust with respect to issues of ethics, privacy, and equity, as well as economic and labor impacts across the world. As this technology develops, it will continue to require responses from international regulations. 

With all of these changes, could international law be in a crisis? Albert Einstein said, “crisis is the greatest blessing that can happen to people and countries, because crisis brings progress.” 

One of my favorite topics to study in my free time (if I can say I have free time), is the study of astrology. I have been very interested in knowing how astrology, although it does not yet have an empirical scientific basis, can help us understand how the behavior of the stars influences our emotions, thoughts and actions. The astrological transits we have in these times are the same as those we had 248 years ago (1778-1798), a revolutionary and transformative period including the Independence of the United States, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. I wouldn’t say it’s a coincidence, but rather a causality, that today we are again discussing The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which was enacted during the same period of astrological transits we had before. I would say that perhaps we are talking about a continuity or an adjustment of the law with these constant immigration needs around the world. See Alien Enemies Act, 50 U.S.C.§ 21 (1798).  

International law must remain in force and its regulations must be expanded so that it can achieve justice for all and for everything, adapting to the current needs of states and individuals. When I began studying law, I learned the meaning of the word justice: “giving to each what belongs to them.” In these times of great transformation, international law, as an administrator of justice, even in the transformative times we live in, will be a fundamental pillar for the growth and future of nations and humanity.