Call for Papers
Gonzaga Journal of International Law 2025 International Law Symposium
BRICS Plus and the Changing Technological and Financial World Order
October 17, 2025
Spokane, WA
The Gonzaga Journal of International Law (GJIL) invites proposals for paper presentations at its 2025 Symposium in Spokane, WA. Previous symposia have covered topics such as Access to the Internet as a Human Right, International Cybersecurity: Governance & Privacy Implications, Economic and Technologic Inequalities, United States Impact on the Global Economy, and Global Crises and the Ukraine War. These programs have showcased distinguished academics and lawyers from various countries and continents.
The 2025 International Law Symposium is scheduled for October 17, 2025, and the theme is BRICS Plus and the Changing Technological and Financial World Order. The Symposium schedule will begin with an intimate welcome dinner the day prior to event, followed by a full-day program that will include multiple panels, a keynote luncheon, and a closing dinner. Speakers will be announced as they are confirmed. GJIL will waive speaker conference fees, including for program events and meals. In addition, GJIL will also provide lodging in Spokane for the dates of the Symposium.
The theme of the Symposium will focus on multicultural perspectives about the changing global order as a function of BRICS Plus: is the BRICS coalition nothing more than a reaction to existing Western hegemony, as perceived by certain parts of the world, or can the BRICS coalition provide an effective vehicle for permanent peace and order through trade, economic, and technological cooperation?
The Symposium will also explore the development and expansion of the BRICS coalition, from its original members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, to the recent inclusion of the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and Indonesia. This expansion has increased the organization’s global economic, political, and technological influence, and, in the view of some international scholars, BRICS Plus presents a potential challenge to the existing global order dominated by the United States and its allies, potentially reshaping the global landscape in the years to come.
For instance, members of the BRICS coalition seek to foster technological cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In January of this year, DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, launched its low-cost, open-source, high-performance large language, called R1. The capabilities of R1 are reported to rival or even surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, at a fraction of the cost. This is just the latest example of the US-China rivalry vis-à-vis technological dominance.
We anticipate a plenary panel to open the symposium focusing specifically on the development and expansion of BRICS Plus. In addition, paper proposals are invited on any topic that explores BRICS Plus issues in the context of the changing technological and financial world order. We will organize selected papers into several concurrent panels.
The symposium is co-sponsored by GJIL, Gonzaga’s Chapter of the International Law Society, Gonzaga University School of Law, and the Asian Society of International Law, Special Human Rights Interest Group (Singapore).
To submit a proposal, please email a paper abstract (one to two pages) and CV to GJIL’s Engagement Editor, Kevin Logue, at klogue2@lawschool.gonzaga.edu. The deadline for priority consideration of proposals is May 15, 2025, and decisions will be communicated beginning on June 1, 2025.
A few selected papers with full manuscript will be published in the Gonzaga Journal of International Law.
Kevin Logue
J.D. Candidate, 2025
Gonzaga University School of Law
GJIL, Engagement Editor
Email: klogue2@lawschool.gonzaga.edu
Tel: +1 619-948-1524