Presentation Title: Power Politics Diffusion in International Law: A Structural Analysis of Power in Substantive Pluralism 
Theme: Politics and Power
Presenter: Mr Christopher Kaindi

Since the end of World War II, powerful States such as the US have dominated the international legal system. A tool in the arsenal of great power statecraft in international law has been the use of international institutions. I will examine the implication of the distribution of power in international law as it relates to international institutions, by advancing a structural assessment of the diffusion of power in international relations, and how this feeds into international law. International institutions are subjects of international law, with the ability to enter into agreements or treaties with other subjects of international law such as States, and creating laws under this capacity. The primary focus of my presentation will therefore be the multipolar system that has dominated international relations since 1945, saturated by international institutions. This system is created by an outward pressure from powerful States in the centre to weaker States in the periphery, thereby having an international legal system weighted towards great powers. 

Christopher Kaindi's interests lie in the interaction of power politics and international law. His thesis conceptualises the interaction between these two concepts as they relate to international organisations.