Profile
Raina_Himanil

Himanil RAINA

PhD Candidate International Law
Teaching Assistant International Law
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Spoken languages
English, Hindi

PhD Thesis

 

Title: National Security and International Law

PhD Supervisor: Andrew Clapham

PhD CO Supervisor: Zachary Douglas

Expected completion date: 2025

The thesis explores whether there exists a unified, (minimal) core or disparate and regime-specific understanding of national security exceptions within international law. It accomplishes this by undertaking a transversal analysis of the term ‘security’ across all the major sub-regimes of public international law.

 

Profile
 

Himanil Raina is a PhD candidate and a Teaching Assistant at the Department of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. His thesis work on National Security and International Law is being completed under Professor Andrew Clapham. He completed his Master in International Law from The Graduate Institute and worked at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and as a Legal Assistant at the International Law Commission during this period as well. Before coming to Geneva, he worked as a Research Associate at the National Maritime Foundation in India and completed his B.A. LL.B (Hons) from the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.

 

Academic Work experience
 

  • Teaching Assistant at the Graduate Institute | Assisted in the following courses: 
    • Professor Andrew Clapham (Laws of War and Advanced Seminar on Human Rights in Armed Conflict)
    • Professor Gian Luca Burci (Global Health Law and The Law and Practice of International Organizations)
    • Professor Zachary Douglas (Law of the Sea, Law of the Sea Clinic and International Law in the 21st Century)
    • Professor Marcelo Kohen (Foundations of International Law)
    • Professor Luis Eslava (Global South Perspectives to International Law)
  • Panelist at the 5th Annual Alexander C Cushing International Law Conference at the U.S Naval War College, Rhode Island. Spoke in the panel on ‘Law of the Sea and Maritime Security' on the topic of ‘A Unified Understanding of Ship Nationality in Peace and War’ (May 23-May 25, 2023)
  • Research Assistant to Dr. Cecile Aptel on a volume on armed conflicts and the protection of children
  • Visiting Faculty at the NALSAR University of Law: The Law of National Security
  • Teaching Assistant at the NALSAR University of Law for the course on International Relations
     

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCES
 

  • Legal Assistant at the International Law Commission (2021-2022)
  • Legal Intern at the Centre for Trade and Investment Law (2022)
  • Legal Intern at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations (2020)
  • Research Associate at the National Maritime Foundation (2018-2019)
     

Research Interests
 

  • International Order
  • General International Law
  • Military Theory
  • Maritime Strategy
  • Force structure
  • National Security

 

Relevant Publications and Works
 

Peer Reviewed Publications

1. Himanil Raina, 'A Unified Understanding of Ship Nationality in Peace and War' (2022) American Journal of International Law, Agora Symposium on the War in Ukraine and Future of the International Legal Order
2. Himanil Raina, 'Strategy and International Law,' Strategy Bridge (2020) 
3. Himanil Raina, 'The forcible protection of nationals and non-combatant evacuation operations,' Maritime Affairs 14(2) (2019) 
4. Himanil Raina, 'Legal Aspects of the 25th November, 2018 Kerch Strait Incident,' in Maritime Perspectives 2018, Ed. Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan & Captain (Dr) Gurpreet S Khurana (p.p 161-169)
5. Himanil Raina, 'Articles 2(4) & 51 of the UN Charter: Force Gaps & the Unilateral Exercise of the Right of Self Defence Against Non State  Actors' (2015) NALSAR International Law Journal 1(1)

Academic Commentaries and Blogs

  • At Peace, Yet Under Fire - Blockade Enforcement against Third State Vessels and the U.N Charter, EJIL Talk (2026)
  • Global Blockades and Unlimited Contraband Lists Under the Law of Naval Warfare, Lawfire (2026)
  • Belligerent Warships in Third States: Internment, Neutrality and Non-Belligerency in the IRIS Cases, Opinio Juris (2026)
  • War, Neutrality and the UN Charter: State Practice in the Iran Conflict, EJIL Talk (2026)
  • Targeting Third-State Merchant Vessels: Military Objectives and War-Sustaining Objects in the Russo-Ukrainian Armed Conflict, EJIL Talk (2025)
  • Attacks on Merchant Shipping: Which State Has the Right to Respond in Self-Defence, Articles of War, Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare at West Point (2024)
  • Himanil Raina,  'Merchant Shipping as Military Objectives and Naval Economic Warfare', Articles of War Leiber Institute for Law & Warfare at West Point (2023)
  • Himanil Raina, 'Integrated Battle Groups are India's Response to Pakistan’ The National Interest (2018)
  • Himanil Raina, 'Missing in action: India's aircraft carriers,' The Interpreter, Lowy Institute (2018)
  • Himanil Raina, ‘How can India reform its civil service,’ The Diplomat (2018)
     

Fellowships, Grants and Awards
 

  • FERIS scholarship (Fondation pour l’etude des relations internationals en Suisse) - The Graduate Institute
  • Gold medal in Political Science and International Relations - NALSAR