Policy Planning
The PILPG Policy Planning Initiative leverages the expertise of PILPG’s expansive network of international lawyers, former high level policymakers and experience with its pro bono clients globally to accurately inform and support critical policy development within the arenas of international law, war crimes prosecution, and conflict/post conflict resolution efforts. The Initiative focuses on advising policymakers and policy shapers on pressing issues by identifying and addressing gaps within existing policies, anticipating key conundrums and questions that will riddle future policy decisions, applying lessons learned from comparative state practice, and proactively producing work product to inform such policies and avoid crisis decision making.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Sudan
Ukraine
Yemen
Engagement with the United Nations
Legislative Testimony
Co-Chairs of Policy Planning Initiative
Dr. Paul Williams
Dr. Paul R. Williams holds the Rebecca I. Grazier Professorship in Law and International Relations at American University where he teaches in the School of International Service and at the Washington College of Law. Dr. Williams is also the co-founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), a pro bono law firm providing legal assistance to states and governments involved in peace negotiations, post-conflict constitution drafting, and the prosecution of war criminals. As a world renowned peace negotiation lawyer, Dr. Williams has assisted over two dozen parties in major international peace negotiations and has advised numerous parties on the drafting and implementation of post-conflict constitutions. Several of Dr. Williams' pro bono government clients throughout the world joined together to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. Williams has served as a Senior Associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as well as an Attorney-Adviser for European and Canadian affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Legal Adviser. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. Dr. Williams is a sought-after international law and policy expert. He is frequently interviewed by major print and broadcast media and regularly contributes op-eds to major newspapers. Dr. Williams has authored six books on various topics concerning international law, and has published over three dozen scholarly articles on topics of international law and policy. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on a number of occasions relating to specific peace processes, transitional justice, and self-determination. Dr. Williams is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and has served as a Counsellor on the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law. In 2019, Paul was awarded the Cox International Law Center's Humanitarian Award for Advancing Global Justice. More information about Dr. Williams can be found at www.drpaulrwilliams.com.
Alexandra Koch
(Currently on leave) Alexandra Koch has served as a PILPG Junior Peace Fellow, PILPG Strategy and Research Fellow, and as Co-Chair of PILPG’s Amicus Initiative. Alexandra graduated from Stanford University Phi Beta Kappa with a focus on International Security and Human Rights. She previously worked at the International Criminal Court and has published several pieces in Lawfare and The Diplomat. Her honors thesis at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford was awarded the John Holland Slusser World Peace Prize. More information on Alexandra can be found here.