# Mark Wu Chair Lecture: Security Internationalism Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AECdcUKhWdk Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/AECdcUKhWdk Generated: 2025-12-09T19:37:58.478+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Professor Mark Woo argues that the future of international law relies on recreating arrangements of "security internationalism," drawing lessons from Henry Stimson's career, which demonstrated that international law requires security alignment among actors rather than relying solely on universal, flexible rules or values harmonization efforts. **Key Points:** - Mark Woo received the Henry L. Stimson Professorship of Law appointment, noting that he had held the chair for seven years before delivering the required lecture due to family care responsibilities. - Henry Stimson's career arc reveals three phases in international law application: early unpreparedness (1911-1913), diplomatic attempts failing to stop aggression (Stimson Doctrine against Japan's Manchuria invasion), and finally establishing the post-war order after learning harsh lessons. - The post-WWII liberal international order, established by Stimson and others, consists of three parts: general international law (often expressive), interface rules between rival systems, and security internationalism (flexible rules for values-aligned states). - The Stimson Doctrine articulated that the U.S. would not recognize territorial change brought about by force alone, stating the government "cannot admit the legality of any situation de facto" regarding China's integrity. - The Bretton Woods economic order, part of the post-war structure, initially formed a coalition of like-minded states (GATT founding membership) suggesting that economic security requires alignment among actors sharing a system and values. - Contemporary challenges include bridging states that seek security arrangements with one side while maintaining economic interaction with another, making traditional block-based rule crafting difficult. - Woo suggests solutions for security internationalism involve finding narrow, values-aligned security arrangements for existential threats, structuring economic relationships with flexible, differentiated trade arrangements, and using ex-post liability rules over ex-ante formalism. **Context:** The lecture celebrates Professor Mark Woo's appointment as the Henry L. Stimson Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, an endowed chair established in 1954 to improve American understanding of international affairs. Henry Lewis Stimson (HLS class of 1890) served in high government echelons, including Secretary of State and Secretary of War, making him a fitting namesake for Woo, whose work orbits the role of the U.S. in the global economic, political, and legal order, particularly concerning US-China relations and technology. ## Detailed Analysis Professor Woo uses the complex career of Henry Stimson to argue for a nuanced understanding of international law centered on 'security internationalism,' contrasting it with previous eras and the post-Cold War focus on values harmonization. Stimson's early career showed the danger of a government having the wrong theory of the case, leading to unpreparedness for WWI; his time as Secretary of State saw the Stimson Doctrine—non-recognition of force-based territorial change—fail to deter aggression like Japan's invasion of Manchuria and Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, illustrating that diplomatic principles alone lack force when actors feel challenged. The successful post-WWII order, which Woo argues is now in peril, was built on three components: expressive international law, formal interface rules between rival systems (like East vs. West), and security internationalism—flexible rules among values-aligned states, exemplified by the GATT's initial membership. Woo contends that the post-Cold War era incorrectly emphasized using formal rules for universal values harmonization, a vision now hitting limits. The current challenge resembles Stimson's time: dealing with geopolitical contention, technological change, and socio-economic dislocation, complicated by the rise of 'bridging states' that seek security alignment with one bloc while maintaining economic ties with another, and the difficulty democracies face due to fluctuating policy preferences. Therefore, the path forward requires prioritizing security internationalism by focusing on narrow, values-aligned security treaties for existential threats, structuring differentiated economic arrangements, and favoring flexible, ex-post liability rules over rigid, ex-ante formalism to enhance security upfront. ### Introduction and Recognition - Dean Goldberg welcomes attendees and recognizes Professor Woo's family and Ambassador Nicholas Burns - The Henry L. Stimson Chair was established in 1954 to integrate international legal studies into the HLS curriculum. ### Henry Stimson's Career Arc - Stimson served as Secretary of War (1911-1913) during an era of globalization where preparedness was neglected, later enlisted in WWI, served as Secretary of State under Hoover, and finally as Secretary of War under Roosevelt/Truman. ### The Stimson Doctrine - Articulated after Japan invaded Manchuria, the doctrine stated the US "cannot admit the legality of any situation de facto" regarding territorial change by force, but this principle failed to prevent subsequent aggressions by Italy and Japan. ### Post-WWII Order Components - Woo argues the successful order features expressive international law, formal interface rules between different systems, and flexible rules for values-aligned nations termed 'security internationalism' (e.g., GATT's founding membership). ### Critique of Modern Approach - The post-Cold War tendency conflated the liberal international order with values harmonization using formal rules, an experiment reaching its limits as great powers resist alignment. ### Contemporary Challenges to Security Internationalism - The world now features 'bridging states' navigating security alignment with one side while maintaining economic ties with another, coupled with rapid, disaggregated technological change. ### Proposed Solutions - Woo suggests focusing on narrow security arrangements for existential threats, creating differentiated economic relationship structures, and employing ex-post liability rules over rigid ex-ante formalism to enhance security.