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2026 Posts
Fourth Branch and Militant Democracy
Fourth Branch and Militant Democracy

Andrej LANG

What role can fourth branch institutions play in militant democracy? Andrej Lang examines their potential and limitations in ‘The Fourth Branch and Militant Democracy’ as part of the Safeguarding Democracy Now Symposium.

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Preliminary Thoughts on the Problem of Sequencing Constitution-Drafting in Democratizing States
Preliminary Thoughts on the Problem of Sequencing Constitution-Drafting in Democratizing States

Feisal Amin AL-ISTRABADI

Ambassador Feisal Amin al-Istrabardi considers the efficacy of early constitution-drafting efforts in democratising states.

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Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring: Global Comparative Perspectives
Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring: Global Comparative Perspectives

Alemayehu Fentaw WELDEMARIAM

Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam opens our symposium on Francesco Biagi’s recent book ‘Constitution-Building After the Arab Spring: A Comparative Perspective’ by reflecting on its central arguments and the questions left open in the decades since the revolution altered the constitutional structures of several Arab countries.

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“Militant” Democracy under the ECHR: Between Pluralism and Democratic Self-Defence
“Militant” Democracy under the ECHR: Between Pluralism and Democratic Self-Defence

Kriszta KOVÁCS

Kriszta Kovács examines the “paradox of militant democracy” under the European Convention on Human Rights. Relying on Bradshaw v. the UK (2025), the author finds that the ECtHR’s insufficient reliance on protective duties (positive obligations) risks undermining the effectiveness of the protection of liberal democracy.

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Regulating Foreign Interference Without Undermining Democracy: Lessons from the Venice Commission
Regulating Foreign Interference Without Undermining Democracy: Lessons from the Venice Commission

Maxim KRUPSKIY

How can democracies counter foreign interference without undermining democratic freedoms? Maxim Krupskiy (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) draws on the Venice Commission to argue for targeted regulation of specific threats rather than broad “foreign agent” regimes.

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Editorial
Editorial

Saoirse ENRIGHT, Seána GLENNON & Pravar PETKAR

Co-Editors Saoirse Enright, Seána Glennon and Pravar Petkar introduce the new symposia being hosted on the Blog in the coming months, as the Blog returns following its summer hiatus in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Constitutionalizing Public Security in Chile
Constitutionalizing Public Security in Chile

Benjamín ALEMPARTE

A proposed constitutional reform on public security in Chile would give security claims greater constitutional weight while expanding exceptional executive powers. Benjamín Alemparte (Universidad de Chile) examines how constitutionalizing security may reshape the balance between state authority, individual rights and judicial review.

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Is There a Constitutional Duty of Disloyalty? – Constitutional Fidelity of Civil Servants in the Age of Political Extremism
Is There a Constitutional Duty of Disloyalty? – Constitutional Fidelity of Civil Servants in the Age of Political Extremism

Cheng-Yi HUANG

Professor Cheng-Yi Huang discusses the concept of constitutional fidelity and asks if there is a duty of disloyalty on the part of public officials when faced with potentially unconstitutional policies from the executive. He looks specifically at the legal conditions and restrictions placed on dual citizens of Taiwan and China who seek to hold public positions in Taiwan. He concludes that constitutional fidelity and the duty of disloyalty are two sides of the same coin since public officials are ultimately charged to uphold the constitutional order itself, not the interests of a political party.

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Militant Memory and the Rule of Law
Militant Memory and the Rule of Law

Aleksandra GLISZCZYŃSKA-GRABIAS

Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias introduces a new symposium on the Blog, ‘Safeguarding Democracy Now: New Varieties of Militant Democracy’, by examining militant memory and its rule of law implications in Poland and the USA.

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Kosovo’s Dissolution Case: Correcting the Result, Failing to Protect the Constitutional Text
Kosovo’s Dissolution Case: Correcting the Result, Failing to Protect the Constitutional Text

Flamur HYSENI

A recent decision by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo to suspend a presidential decree dissolving Parliament may have reached the right result, yet its reasoning may compromise democratic values, argues Prof. Flamur Hyseni (University of Prishtina).

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Featured

Editorial - September 2026

The Co-Editors introduce the new symposia that will be hosted on the Blog in the remainder of 2026.

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Call for Applications to Host IACL-AIDC World Congress 2030

The IACL is now inviting universities and academic institutions, including national associations of Constitutional Law worldwide, to submit proposals to host the 2030 World Congress.

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Symposium: Spotlight on the Venice Commission

 

The Blog runs an ongoing series of posts discussing important opinions of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, as part of the long-standing cooperation between the IACL and the Venice Commission.

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New Symposium: Safeguarding Democracy Now

The Blog’s newest symposium is entitled ‘Safeguarding Democracy Now: New Varieties of Militant Democracy’

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Our Bookshelf: Author Interviews

Author Interviews
Comparative Constitutional Law: Fourth Edition
Comparative Constitutional Law: Fourth Edition

Vicki C JACKSON, Mark TUSHNET, Rosalind DIXON & Madhav KHOSLA

The authors of the fourth edition of the casebook Comparative Constitutional Law (OUP 2026) introduce the new edition, key changes and discuss its use.

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Judicial Bricolage The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges in the 21st Century
Judicial Bricolage The Use of Foreign Precedents by Constitutional Judges in the 21st Century

Tania GROPPI, Marie-Claire PONTHOREAU and Irene SPIGNO

In this new IACL Blog post, Tania Groppi, Marie-Claire Ponthoreau and Irene Spigno discuss their recent volume, awarded the 2025 Book of the Year Prize by the International Forum on the Future of Constitutionalism.

The interview revisits a central question in comparative constitutional law: are foreign precedents part of a genuine transnational judicial dialogue, or are they more often used pragmatically, selectively and contextually by constitutional judges?

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Décentrer les Études Constitutionnelles Grâce aux Perspectives Postcoloniales
Décentrer les Études Constitutionnelles Grâce aux Perspectives Postcoloniales

Audrey Bachert-PERETTI, Marie GREN& Nicoletta PERLO

The IACL Blog publishes an original interview with Audrey Bachert-Peretti, Marie Gren, and Nicoletta Perlodiscussing the special issue “Can Constitutional Studies Be Decentred?”, published in the Annuaire international de justice constitutionnelle. Drawing on postcolonial and decolonial perspectives, this special issue examines the epistemic and methodological foundations of comparative constitutional law.

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Constitution-building after the Arab Spring. A Comparative Perspective
Constitution-building after the Arab Spring. A Comparative Perspective

Francesco BIAGI

Francesco Biagi introduces his new book Constitution-building after the Arab Spring. A Comparative Perspective (CUP 2025).

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Language for Legislation and Legislation through Language
Language for Legislation and Legislation through Language

Tímea DRINÓCZI, Giulia A. PENNISI and Helen XANTHAKI (eds)

Tímea Drinóczi, Giulia A. Pennisi, Helen Xanthaki tell us about the new book ‘Language for Legislation and Legislation through Language’.

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Artificial Intelligence, Counter-Terrorism and the Rule of Law
Artificial Intelligence, Counter-Terrorism and the Rule of Law

Chiara GRAZIANI and Arianna VEDASCHI

Chiara Graziani and Arianna Vedaschi introduce their new open-access book, ‘Artificial Intelligence, Counter-Terrorism and the Rule of Law’ (Elgar 2025).

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The Equilibrium of Parliamentary Law-making: Comparative Perspectives on the Role of Courts in a Democracy
The Equilibrium of Parliamentary Law-making: Comparative Perspectives on the Role of Courts in a Democracy

Viktor Zoltán KAZAI

Viktor Zoltán Kazai tells us about his new book ‘The Equilibrium of Parliamentary Law-making: Comparative Perspectives on the Role of Courts in a Democracy’.

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La démocratie illibérale en droit constitutionnel
La démocratie illibérale en droit constitutionnel

Vanessa BARBÉ, Bertrand-Léo COMBRADE & Charles-Édouard SÉNAC

Vanessa Barbé, Bertrand-Léo Combrade et Charles-Édouard Sénac présentent leur ouvrage « La démocratie illibérale en droit constitutionnel » qui entend contribuer à l’analyse de la démocratie illibérale.

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Les états d'urgence sécuritaire et sanitaire : Étude constitutionnelle, historique et critique
Les états d'urgence sécuritaire et sanitaire : Étude constitutionnelle, historique et critique

Olivier BEAUD, Cécile GUÉRIN-BARGUES & Samy BENZINA

Olivier Beaud, Samy Benzina et Cécile Guérin-Bargues présentent leur ouvrage « Les états d'urgence sécuritaire et sanitaire : Étude constitutionnelle, historique et critique » consacré à l’étude constitutionnelle, historique et critique de l’état d’urgence en France.

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Constitutional Courts, Media and Public Opinion
Constitutional Courts, Media and Public Opinion

Angioletta SPERTI

Angioletta Sperti tells us about her new book ‘Constitutional Courts, Media and Public Opinion’.

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Saoirse Enright

Seána Glennon

Pravar Petkar

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