The Legal Experiment That Shaped International Law
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a unique legal experiment unfolded across Egypt, Syria/Lebanon, and Tangier. These regions, caught between colonial rule and national sovereignty, established mixed courts - hybrid judicial bodies where local and foreign judges worked together to resolve disputes involving foreigners. They operated in a legal gray zone, balancing the authority of European powers with the autonomy of local states. Over time, they became more than just courts; they served as an early model of supranational law, a system where multiple legal traditions coexisted within a single framework.
Aya Bejermi explores how these courts functioned, how their case law evolved, and what influence they may have had on later international institutions. Did the Egyptian mixed courts set a precedent for asserting rights beyond national borders? Were there parallels between these courts and the emerging legal structures of the European Union? Bejermi’s study examines whether the decades-long existence of this legal system quietly shaped the very foundations of modern supranational law.
By tracing the movement of legal ideas, judges, and practitioners across these courts, this research sheds light on how international law was not just created in theory but built through practical necessity. What was once seen as a temporary colonial solution may, in hindsight, have been a blueprint for global legal governance.