Preface

• Author: Pranoto Iskandar
• Pages: 11-11

e Indonesian Journal of International & Comparative Law

ISSN: 2338-7602; E-ISSN: 2338-770X

http://www.ijil.org

© 2020 e Institute for Migrant Rights Press

PrEfaCE

ere is little doubt that 2021 will be a year where many important

shis in both international and comparative legal practices may occur.

Arguably, President Joe Biden’s election is the catalyst of these shis.

Should things unfold as expected, the modied version of the post-

Cold War multilateralism, as the U.S. practiced during the pre-Trump

era, should be in vogue again. It is worth noting, however, that this

implies the consequences, or “damage,” if you will, from the Trump

administration have concluded.

While it is not clear whether these shis promise a better future,

the change of tone within the U.S. administration will be very likely

instrumental to shiing the behavior of other states around the world.

Consequently, customary international law will be an interesting area

for researchers to revisit. Obviously, customary international law will

be just one, among many subjects, that is an interesting, potential eld

of inquiry. at said, there are a number of legal questions that are of

immensely practical signicance. One particular instance that readily

comes to mind relates to the question of equity in international law.

Clearly, “vaccine nationalism” provides a rare opportunity to investigate

the discourse of equity as it plays out in real-world politics.

Moreover, with the return to normalcy of the U.S., another

interesting subject that must be mentioned here is the intensifying

rivalry between the U.S. and China. In the case of vaccine diplomacy,

for instance, there is no doubt that China is many steps ahead of the

U.S. Interestingly enough, the Biden administration has reiterated

its commitment not “to share its stock of vaccine, until it nishes its

inoculation drive.” By contrast, in the region of Southeast Asia and in

many other regions, China has been the undisputed vaccine provider.

China, therefore, presents itself as a benevolent force in the region.

For what it is worth, as the year of 2021 unfolds, we are looking

forward to reading and publishing more diverse and interesting

submissions.

Pranoto Iskandar