Former President of Ireland and academic lawyer Dr Mary McAleese delivers a powerful and wide-ranging address on democracy, human dignity, planetary health, and the rule of law in this special end-of-year episode of The Justice Edit (formerly Horsehair Wigs).

Recorded in front of a live audience at an IRLI event at the Law Society of Ireland in November, McAleese - in conversation with barrister, Peter Leonard - offers a searing assessment of the global political climate, warning of democratic backsliding, the rise of undemocratic leaders, and the growing normalisation of war and authoritarian power.

Reflecting on the postwar international order, she cautions that, “Coming out of the Second World War, we hear now more warmongering talk, all of which can feed the big business that spins out of the war machine.”

At the heart of her address is a clear ethical demand: "The sacredness of the human person, the sacredness of the earth — these things have got to be embedded in the employment of capital and big business. Without that, you get a wrecking match — and that’s what we’re seeing.”

McAleese warns that democratic progress is never guaranteed, noting that even long-established democracies are now centres of decline: “Rather tragically, famous democracies are now the centre of that backsliding. They use the words democracy and rule of law, but in a sense that none of us would recognise as having any credibility.”

She also reflects on the election of autocratic leaders within democratic systems, calling it “an awful sad thing… to see democracies capable of electing autocrats and people with second-century imperial ambitions.”

The conversation explores the role of international institutions in resisting impunity and defending accountability. Of the International Criminal Court, McAleese observes that while some states may walk away from responsibility, “the fact that it exists… sends a message to all people under abusers of the rule of law that outside of them, there’s a world that actually dares to care.”

She further defends the European Union as a cornerstone of postwar peace and cooperation, urging citizens not to abandon it in moments of frustration: “If you have problems with the European Union, remember why it’s there… You don’t walk away from it. You stay and fight your ground.”

McAleese also challenges religious institutions to engage more actively in confronting violence, exploitation, and indifference, noting their global influence, before closing with a stark warning: “We are facing existential crises — and they are upon us in this generation.”

This episode was recorded in memory of James Douglas, Irish Rule of Law International’s late Executive Director, and is dedicated to his commitment to human rights and the rule of law.

This episode was recorded live in front of an audience, and some variation in audio quality is to be expected.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or its donors.

The Americas director of Human Rights Watch, Juanita Goebertus Estrada sits down with us this month to talk about El Salvador’s policy of mass incarceration.

For a country the size of Massachusetts in the US, El Salvador has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Unlawful detention and an abuse of power have become hallmarks of the reign of the Salvadorian President, Nayib Bukele, who once described himself as “the world’s coolest dictator”. The country is a long-running state of emergency – since 2022 - and there are calls to reinstate suspended constitutional rights.

“Now, El Salvador has the equivalent of 1.4% of its people incarcerated. In many senses for Salvadorians, this has been presented as a paradox: if they want security, they need to sacrifice their human rights,” says Juanita.

According to the World Justice Project, El Salvador ranks 111th across 142 countries in its rule of law index for 2024, with steady declines since 2020. It all started as a crackdown on gangs in 2022 after a series of homicides committed by criminal gangs, but quickly turned into a policy of mass incarceration. Various human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented arbitrary arrests, torture and huge violations of due process.

According to Juanita: “It started by being able to capture without a warrant, being able to prosecute without sufficient evidence and maintaining people in pre-trial detention indefinitely.”

And as Bukele ramped up his crackdown on civil liberties, he gained a significant ally in the US President Donald Trump. In exchange for a few million dollars, Trump unlawfully deported over 200 Venezuelans from the US who were held in El Salvador’s high security prison for gang members. The deal was done after Bukele went to Washington to visit Trump.

“Seeing Trump and Bukele in the Oval Office, it seemed as if they were sharing lessons on how to be an authoritarian leader,” says Juanita.

With over 100,000 people now in prison in the country and with reports of torture and mass violations of due process, what’s its future? And what sort of an impact is Trump’s relationship with Bukele having on wider power dynamics in Latin America? Tune in, to hear Juanita’s compelling insights.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or its donors.

Patrick Paul Walsh of the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin talks to us about the future of overseas aid.

Dr. Walsh is currently on secondment to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, where he works as Vice President of Education and the Director of the Sustainable Development Goals Academy. He voices his support for continued efforts towards sustainable development goals, for the greater good: “What it says is that you actually do care for people and nature outside your own jurisdiction. And that you do have a responsibility for them. To operate outside of that would be very, very dangerous.”

The most recent figures from the OECD show that international aid from donors fell in 2024 by over 7%. And the headlines have been dominated, this year, by the dismantling of USAID - the largest historical provider of aid. Dr. Walsh questions the lack of a contingency plan for such a big withdrawal of money: “Did anyone think of insuring the project for anyone pulling out? Was there any contingency plan for this? How do, suddenly, the doors shut, and people who need important medicines or orphanages… how do these just close overnight?”

Where do we go from here? How do we continue to address global issues, like peace and security, climate change and human rights? Dr. Walsh says people are now looking at other ways of potentially financing developing countries: “We’re kind of thinking how do we finance a sustainable planet. And all countries need to be involved in sustainable development pathways. It’s all people everywhere, not just governments of the developing world…. People are starting to think, why wouldn’t richer countries provide state guarantees? Why wouldn’t they go in with intergovernmental banks? And why can’t big insurance companies do all the modelling and risk analysis? The bottom line is… the money would be there.”

Dr. Walsh believes, firmly, that Ireland should continue to push for an international rules-based order and multilateralism, ways in which sustainable development goals can be achieved. As many countries scale up militarisation and misalign themselves with international law, he believes that operating outside of an international order would be very, very dangerous: “We have to do everything possible to promote diplomacy across the world, for everyone. We never should get behind any flags that are against that. And, of course, if they break international law, you call them out. Of course, you support court cases against them in international courts, but you are basically neutral and you want the international order to work, and you keep pushing for that.”

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.