International Constitutionalism Under Stress: Constitutional Fragmentation and Authoritarian Resurgence in Global Governance

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

2 Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, Qom University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

This article examines the contemporary viability of international constitutionalism within anincreasingly fragmented global governance framework. Since 1945, Public International Lawhas undergone significant processes of constitutionalization, reflected in the development ofnormative hierarchies, institutionalized forms of governance, and universal human rightsregimes. Recent geopolitical developments, however, have exposed growing tensions withinthe international legal order. The renewed influence of authoritarian governance models, thedeclining effectiveness of multilateral institutions, and the increasing dispersion of internationalauthority raise fundamental questions concerning the coherence, legitimacy, and regulatorycapacity of international constitutionalism in the twenty-first century. The article examineswhether contemporary international law continues to operate as a constitutionalized legal orderor whether it is increasingly characterized by normative fragmentation, institutional contestation,and pluralized forms of governance. It argues that, although constitutional elements remainembedded within international law, their practical effectiveness is increasingly constrained bygeopolitical rivalry, selective enforcement practices, and competing conceptions of sovereignty,legitimacy, and international authority. Particular attention is given to developments in the MiddleEast, where armed conflict, humanitarian crises, and contested applications of internationallegal norms operate as significant stress tests for collective security mechanisms, humanitariangovernance, and international accountability structures. Methodologically, the article adopts adoctrinal and descriptive-analytical approach grounded in Public International Law. It draws upontreaty law, international jurisprudence, institutional practice, and constitutionalist scholarship,while also engaging with theories of constitutional pluralism and global governance. The articleconcludes that international constitutionalism has neither collapsed nor consolidated into afully autonomous global constitutional order. Rather, contemporary international law reflectsan ongoing process of constitutional transformation, characterized by fragmented authority,contested legitimacy, and pluralized governance structures operating amid persistent geopoliticaland normative contestation

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Iranian Journal of International and Comparative Law
Volume 4, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 92-117

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