Introduction: Sovereignty, Imperialism, and International Law

International law has long represented the ideals of global order and the aspiration for justice in governing the complex relationships that shape our modern world. Yet it is ultimately a mechanism designed to serve the national interests of sovereign states and contains significant loopholes that condition its application to other global actors. Juxtaposing two seemingly separate historical events—the signing of the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting the use of poison gas in war and Spain’s simultaneous gas bombing of Morocco’s northern Rif region—exposes the shortfalls of international law in dealing with conflicts between sovereign and nonsovereign powers, as well as emphasizes the implicit role humanitarian law plays in bolstering imperial regimes.