"Lawfare" Is Worth Defining

This foreword explores the conceptualisation of “lawfare” through the diverse definitions found in the existing literature and examines its influence on how international crimes are perceived within the broader international community, including the emerging poles of today’s multipolar world order. It departs from two main categories: “external / international lawfare” and “internal / domestic lawfare”, each of which shapes the legal fields discussed in contemporary debates. Particular emphasis is placed on “external / international lawfare”, reflecting both the dominance of this category in the literature and the thematic orientation of the contributions to this issue of Athena, which are then connected to intersections with “internal / domestic lawfare” in contexts such as unilateral coercive measures and “denialism” laws. In this light, the foreword challenges the prevailing “us” versus “them” dichotomy that has long characterised the lawfare discourse, and calls for the development of a neutral, universally accepted definition that moves beyond the impulse to counter an adversary’s supposed “lawfare strategies”. It concludes by arguing that legal scholars must acknowledge today’s multipolar reality and prioritise dialogue over the weaponisation of law.