International law given at the Hague Academy

In the first chapter of his 2013 general course on international law given at the Hague Academy, the late Judge James Crawford considered realist challenges to international law. In relation to the notion that international law does not constrain the powerful,

Judge Crawford contrasted the tragic history of the Island of Melos with
the more recent experience of the people of Timor Leste and suggested that Timor Leste ‘is more reflective of
our time than Melos and the Peloponnesian war’.

In light of the variety of international legal strategies used by
Ukraine since 2014 in response to the Russian Federation’s efforts to forcibly undermine Ukraine’s territorial
integrity, do you agree with Judge Crawford’s assessment?

Is Melos or is Timor Leste more reflective of
Ukraine’s experience, or is it too early to make that assessment?