Introduction

When I arrived at Harvard Law School in the Fall of 2007, Professor Vagts had already retired from the faculty. Yet he was still very much present on campus. As a central pillar of the international law pantheon at Harvard, he continued supervising and giving advice to any student eager to learn about international law. Even though I never had the privilege of being taught by him, I am immensely grateful to him for all the guidance I received during my LLM year and for taking an active interest in my development as an international lawyer.

His door in Langdell was always open. Soon after my arrival, I became a regular visitor to Langdell 337. He would put aside the newest article he was working on. Invariably, a fascinating conversation would follow, which often took unexpected turns. What made the conversations with Detlev so delightful was that he provided not just many academic insights but drew on his lifelong wisdom as a scholar and dedicated internationalist. He was most generous with his time. I would also meet him regularly at the German lunch tables that he organised. For decades, he has served as the cultural bridge for Europeans who came to study at Harvard Law School, especially those from German-speaking countries.