Harum Mukhayer

Harum’s current research interests focus on territorial sovereignty and whether there exists a legal justification for boundaries under international law. Her thesis explores the distinction between territorial sovereignty that attaches itself to land versus territorial sovereignty attached to maritime areas. Her argument is based on questioning the exclusivity of sovereignty over land, given sovereignty can be shared over other ecological units, such as the High Seas, transboundary water, transboundary air and so on. When she is not dealing with the application of doctrinal rules of international law to territorial disputes, Harum explores their potential application to a ‘blockchain jurisdiction’.

Harum’s thesis draws inspiration from her 8 years of experience working with the United Nations in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia as a Project Manager and Natural Resources Law Specialist. She was motivated to focus on land as territory and explore questions of territorial sovereignty as a result of her time at UC Davis on a Fulbright Scholarship learning about American Indian Law and the experience of the Winnemum Wintu and Pit River Tribes.