In this episode of the Britcham Podcast, Matt Ryland, Executive Director of British Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, introduces guest speaker Professor Fernanda Pirie. Drawing from her expertise in legal anthropology, Pirie discusses the evolution of international law over thousands of years. She elaborates on significant events and examples from the early codes of Hammurabi to medieval international trade practices and the advent of modern era global conventions.  She underscores how people have found lawmaking useful to smoothen international transactions despite the lack of direct sanctions.  The podcast concludes highlighting the influence and prevalence of international law in today's society. 00:00 Introduction and Background of the Lecture 02:13 Historical Context of International Law 04:39 The Role of Law in International Relations 07:05 The Evolution of International Law 07:55 The Role of Law in Global Challenges 12:35 The Impact of Law on Trade and Commerce 44:54 The Influence of Law on International Organizations For more information about the Britcham Chamber of Commerce Vietnam please visit www.britchamvn.com