State Interest And The Sources Of International Law

This book addresses the disparity between positive non-treaty law and its scholarly assessment in the area of moral concepts, understood as altruistic as opposed to reciprocal legal obligations. It shows how scholars are generously willing to assert the existence of a rule of international law, thereby moving further away from actual state practice, not taking into account the factors of legal rhetoric and the core survival interests of the state in the formation of custom and general principles of law. The main argument is that such moral concepts can simply not manifest themselves as non-treaty sources of international law from a dogmatic perspective. The reason is the inherent connection between the formation of the non-treaty sources of international law and state interest that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to assess state practice or opinio juris in the case of altruistic obligations. The book further demonstrates this finding by looking at two cases in point: Human rights and humanitarian exceptions to the prohibition of force. As opposed to the majority of existing works on the subject, State Interest and the Sources of International Law takes a bigger-picture approach to a number of distinct problems in international law scholarship by looking at the building blocks of international relations on the one hand, and merging this with sources doctrine on the other. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of international law, human rights, international relations, political science, legal philosophy, and legal theory.

Sources of State Practice in International Law is a descriptive bibliography of both electronic and printed sources of information containing the text of treaties and the record of diplomatic activity of important jurisdictions around the world. As such, it includes an up-to-date description of national treaty portals and other valuable Internet-based sources. At the same time, it also includes descriptions of printed sources providing access to treaties and official diplomatic documentation difficult to locate in standard compilations. In addition, this work includes a narrative section for each jurisdiction summarizing issues related to treaty succession and treaty implementation in municipal law. Sources of State Practice in International Law is an indispensable reference for researchers in both international law and international relations. Contributors: Jennifer Allison, Martin Bouda, Rob Britt, Talia Einhorn, Victor Essien, Gabriela Femenia, Ralph F. Gaebler, Susan Gualtier, Ryan Harrington, Carole L. Hinchcliff, Marci Hoffman, Vera Korzun, Jootaek (Juice) Lee, Joseph Luke, Evelyn Ma, Teresa M. Miguel-Stearns, Dana Neacsu, Kara Phillips, Sunil Rao, Mary Rumsey, Alison A. Shea, Maria I. Smolka-Day, Suzanne Thorpe and Beatrice Tice

This book addresses the disparity between positive non-treaty law and its scholarly assessment in the area of moral concepts, understood as altruistic, as opposed to reciprocal legal obligations. It shows how scholars are generously willing to assert the existence of a rule of international law, thereby moving further away from actual state practice, not taking into account the factors of legal rhetoric and the core survival interests of the state in the formation of custom and general principles of law. The main argument is that such moral concepts can simply not manifest themselves as non-treaty sources of international law from a dogmatical point of view. The reason is the inherent connection between the formation of the non-treaty sources of international law and state interest that makes it difficult, if not impossible to assess state practice or opinio iuris in the case of altruistic obligations. The book further demonstrates this finding by looking at two cases in point: human rights and humanitarian exceptions to the prohibition of force. As opposed to the majority of existing works on the subject, State Interest and the Sources of International Law takes a bigger picture approach to a number of distinct problems in international law scholarship by looking at the building blocks of international relations, on the one hand, and merging this with sources doctrine, on the other. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of international law, human rights, international relations, political science, legal philosophy, and legal theory.

"Progress in International Law" is a comprehensive accounting of international law for our times. Forty leading international law theorists analyze the most significant current issues in international law and their critical assessments draw diverse conclusions about the current state and future prospects of international law. The material is grouped under the headings: The History and Theory of International Law; The Sources of International Law and Their Application in the United States; International Actors; International Jurisdiction and International Jurisprudence; The Use of Force and the World's Peace; and The Challenge of Protecting the Environment and Human Rights. The book draws its inspiration from a similar survey undertaken in 1932 by Harvard Law Professor and PCIJ Judge Manley O. Hudson. In his book "Progress in International Organization," Hudson sought to demonstrate that what he perceived as an emerging international infrastructure, and as moves toward the rule of law in international affairs, were sure signs of human progress towards peace and cooperation. "Progress in International Law" critically engages with that claim as a normative matter and, at the same time, presents the evidence by which a judgment about our own progress towards peace and cooperation might be judged.

Intended for use in an International Law survey course, International Law, Seventh Edition provides comprehensive coverage of foundational international law questions, including the nature and sources of international law, core doctrinal topics such as the subjects of international law (states and international organizations), and the jurisdictional powers and immunities of states. The book also addresses key substantive topics in international law, with reference to important contemporary foreign policy issues, such as (i) international human rights, (ii) the law of the sea, (iii) international environmental law, (iv) the use of force and the law of armed conflict, and (v) international criminal law. Key Features: New co-author Duncan Hollis of Temple Law School joins Stanford Law School’s Allen Weiner as the active authors of the book. New discussions of major international developments, including the law governing the use of force [e.g., cyber operations and the military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS)], nonproliferation (e.g., the Iranian and North Korean nuclear crises), the law of the sea (e.g., disputed maritime claims in the South China Sea), and international environmental law (e.g., the conclusion of the Paris Agreement). New case study in Chapter 1 focused on the international response to the rise of ISIS. Inclusion of extended excerpts from a number of major recent Supreme Court decisions related to international law, including Bond v. United States (on fundamental principles of federalism and the treaty power under Article VI of the Constitution), Zivotofsky v. Kerry (on the separation of powers between Congress and the President in the field of foreign affairs), and Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (on the Alien Tort Statute). Adopts a modern, conceptual approach to the presentation of materials on statehood (including Palestinian claims to statehood), international organizations, and international dispute resolution.

This book explores the extent to which contemporary international law expects states to take into account the interests of others - namely third states or their citizens - when they form and implement their policies, negotiate agreements, and generally conduct their relations with other states. It systematically considers the various manifestations of what has been described as 'community interests' in many areas regulated by international law and observes how the law has evolved from a legal system based on more or less specific consent and aimed at promoting particular interests of states, to one that is more generally oriented towards collectively protecting common interests and values. Through essays by experts in the field, this book explores topics such as the sources of international law and the institutional aspects of developing the law and covers a range of areas within the law.

A collection of essays on the various aspects of the legal sources of international law, including theories of the origin of international law, explanation of its binding force, normative hierarchies and the relation of international law and politics.

What lies in the common interest of the international community? How are those common interests protected? What is the role of states and of the international community? This book looks at the protection of common interests and shows how international law is progressively moving away from a system based on territorial sovereignty to a system based on shared responsibilities among states and other actors.