Writing

I take great joy in writing on various aspects of international law, and make a concerted effort to write for general and policy audiences, besides a legal audience. I believe there is an even greater need currently to make international law accessible, and I write with this aim. 

I have written for news outlets such as The Washington Post, Al-Jazeera, Rappler, The Wire, The Print, The Hindu, Hindustan Times; and for legal publications & blogs such as ASIL Insights, Just Security, Dejusticia Global Rights blog, IntlawGrrls, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security blog, Human Rights Brief etc. 

I am a contributing editor at the international law blog Opinio Juris, and my writing for the blog is here. 

I. Opinion Pieces

  1. “Philippines: justice and accountability, post elections“, 18 May 2022, The Interpreter (Lowy Institute) [Link]

  2. “Preventing Genocide”, 19 January 2022, Op-ed, The Hindu [Link]

  3. “An unconscionable act: on India’s position on Myanmar”, 23 March 2021, Op-ed, The Hindu [Link]

  4. “Facebook Must Walk the Talk on Myanmar”, 4 September 2020, Op-ed, Al Jazeera, [Link]

  5. “India’s cruel exercise in exclusion could leave millions stateless”, 1 August 2019, Op-ed, The Washington Post [Link]

  6. “India Take Heed, Lynchings are Crimes Against Humanity Under International Law”, 4 July 2019, Op-ed, The Wire [Link]

  7. “Accountability for Flight MH17: A long and winding road…”, 21 June 2019, The Interpreter (Lowy Institute). [Link]

  8. “Pulwama Attack: What India Can Learn from Mindanao in the Philippines”, 20 February 2019, Op-ed, The Wire. [Link]

  9. “Extrajudicial killings: India’s long history of “fake encounters””, 29 January 2019, The Interpreter (Lowy Institute). [Link]

  10. “The view from the outside: on India’s human rights record”, 18 January 2019, Op-ed, The Hindu. [Link]

  11. “The high court verdict on 1984 riots is historic”, 21 December 2018, Op-ed, Hindustan Times. [Link]

  12. “International justice: tackling impunity in Asia”, 29 November 2018, The Interpreter (Lowy Institute). [Link]

  13. “ICC ruling on Rohingyas can impact India as well”, 19 September 2018, Op-ed, Hindustan Times. [Link]

  14. “Rhetoric and reality: On the UNHRC and human rights”, 11 July 2018, Op-ed, The Hindu. [Link]

  15. “ICC vs Myanmar: A unique opportunity for ensuring accountability”, 8 June 2018, Al Jazeera Opinion. [Link]

  16. “A gathering storm: on engaging with human rights laws”, 6 March 2018, Op-ed, The Hindu. [Link]

  17. “Philippines’ extrajudicial killings in war on drugs now under international legal scrutiny”, 12 February 2018, The Print. [Link]

  18. “International Law Does Not Allow India to Intervene in the Maldives”, 9 February 2018, The Wire. [Link]

  19. “No nation can ignore the new global treaty pushed by Nobel-winning ICAN”, 9 October 2017, The Print. [Link]

  20. Expert contributor, “Talk Point: Are the Rohingya Muslim refugees a security threat? Can India deport them?”, 8 September 2017, The Print. [Link]

  21. “South Africa and the ICC: The Travails of ‘Enforcing’ International ‘Cooperation’”, 1 August 2017, The Wire. [Link]

  22. “Kulbhushan Jadhav Case at International Court of Justice is Not A Matter of Life And Death”, 18 June 2017, Outlook India. [Link]

  23. “India wants UN Security Council Seat But Runs Shy of International Criminal Court Facing Desertion”, 23 February 2017, Outlook India. [Link]

  24. “Back to the future: Resetting priorities for peace”, 13 February 2016, Rappler Philippines. [Link]

    II. Blogs Posts/Short Pieces

  25. “Time for a Clean Slate: Re-envisioning the US – ICC relationship”, Arguendo – Expert Round Table on US ICC Relations, American Bar Association magazine International Criminal Justice Today, 24 May 2021 [Link]  

  26. Gurmendi Dunkelberg, Ingber, Pillai & Pothelet, “UPDATE: Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018”, 7 May 2018, Just Security blog. [Link]

  27. Gurmendi Dunkelberg, Ingber, Pillai & Pothelet, “Mapping States’ Reactions to the Syria Strikes of April 2018”, 22 April 2018, Just Security blog. [Link]

  28. “The African Union, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice: At the Fault Lines of International Accountability”, American Society of International Law Insights (Aug. 22, 2018). [Link] 

  29. “Against colonization, India supports Mauritius vs Britain at ICJ”, 17 March 2018, South Asia Monitor (Society for Policy Studies). [Link]

  30. “A few thoughts on a career in International Law”, 4 March 2019, Column, Bar & Bench. [Link]

  31. “Challenges of Urban Warfare”, 8 July 2017, IntLawGrrls blog. [Link]

  32. “Renewing pathways to peace in the Philippines: International law and Amnesties”, 8 March 2017, Dejusticia Global Rights blog. [Link]

  33. “The Report of the Philippine Transitional Justice & Reconciliation Commission: Amplifying the Voices of Women”, 30 March 2016, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security blog. [Link]

  34. “Adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions”, American Society of International Law Insights (Oct. 1, 2008). [Link]

  35. “A “Call to Arms”: A Gender Sensitive Approach to the Plight of Female Child Soldiers in International Law”, 15 No. 2 Human Rights Brief (2008) 23. [Link]

    III. Reports & Academic Publications

  36. Co-author, “International Health Law in Perspective”, Background paper 16, The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, May 2021. [Link]

  37. “Qatar v. United Arab Emirates: Order on Provisional Measures (I.C.J.)”, International Legal Materials, Volume 59, Issue 1, February 2020, pp. 17 – 26. [Link] 

  38. “The ICC and Beyond: Re-Evaluating the Promise of International Criminal Justice – Introductory Remarks by Priya Pillai”, Proceedings of the ASIL Annual Meeting , Volume 114 , 2020 , pp. 201 – 203. [Link]

  39. “Expanding the scope of provisional measures under the Genocide Convention”, The Cambridge Law Journal, Volume 79 , Issue 2 , July 2020 , pp. 201 – 204. [Link]

  40. “The Need for a Genocide Law in India”, in Nainar & Uma (eds.), Pursuing Elusive Justice – Mass Crimes in India and Relevance of International Standards (Oxford University Press 2013), pp. 361 – 386.

  41. “Opening Pandora’s Box: A New Era for Nuclear Weapon Proliferation?”, in Patel (ed.), India and International Law (Volume 2), (Koninklijke Brill N.V. 2008), pp. 99 – 130.

  42. “The Case Concerning the Application of the Genocide Convention: Confusion or Clarity?”, 14 Australian International Law Journal (2007) 239 – 253.