UCLan Cyprus School of Law Research Seminar 9, Tesday 4th February, 1.45pm – 2.45pm

Dr Dmitry Labin (Department of International Law, MGIMO University, Moscow)

The Middle East has long been the centre of international concern and attention, destabilizing the world system as a whole. The last two decades have witnessed a number of crises and even the collapse of a number of regimes in the region. The consequent gap in the level of economic development of the countries in the Middle East should not surprise in light of the willingness of the more influential among them to ensure their dominance in the region. Such attempts are made in the context of the unfolding competition between the leading world players for influence in the region. Many of these have been attempting to impact on the current situation. Sometimes, as a result, their actions have inadvertently blurred the fundamental principles of international law, which are given a new interpretation.

This may be considered as an actual expansion of the national legal systems of individual States which apply their national legal standards extraterritorially. Russia confirms that it applies international law in defending its national interests worldwide as a major instrument for ensuring its limited economic, military, political and diplomatic resources. In this seminar, Dr Labin shall attempt to sketch some of the major aspects of cooperation between States concerned in the framework of international law, in order to secure peace and stability in the region and focus primarily on the diplomatic impact of Russia in this regard.

Dr Dmitry Labin is a Professor in the Department of Law at MGIMO University, Moscow. He is an Attorney-at-Law and Arbiter of the Arbitration Tribunal of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Russia.