El gatopardismo en las relaciones internacionales

The article offers a critical and hermeneutic reading of International Law, drawing on the metaphor of Il Gattopardo to highlight how formal changes often serve to preserve underlying structures of power. It underscores the structural crisis of the international legal system, marked by tensions between norm and force, legitimacy and hegemony. While acknowledging achievements such as the universalization of human rights and the post-1945 consolidation of multilateral institutions, the article cautions against their instrumentalization by hegemonic powers through legal rhetoric that conceals underlying dynamics of domination. The emergence of actors such as the BRICS is interpreted not as a substantive transformation of the international order, but rather as a redistribution of power within its existing structures. Given this scenario, the article advocates for a "struggle for law" that goes beyond mere formal reform, envisioning a more just, participatory, and pluralistic international legal order.