Transformation In Russia And International Law

Since the end of the Cold War the relationship between the internal constitution of a state and its international behaviour has been a subject of much scholarly interest. Assuming that this connection matters the author analyses the transformation from the USSR to the Russian Federation. Does a liberal Russia behave better than the non-liberal USSR? Are Russia's attitudes towards international law different than those of the former USSR? How much continuity is there and how much change has occurred in the scholarship of international law in Russia? How are Russia's treaties made and implemented? What is the role of international law in the Russian legal system? The author shows that international human rights played an important role in the Soviet "perestroika" and in the subsequent reforms in the Russian Federation. She argues that at the surface level the transformation in Russia has been remarkable, notably so with regard to the role of international law in the domestic legal system. Drawing from a wide range of materials - Soviet/Russian history, legislation, court cases and doctrinal writings - the book takes a cultural and historical perspective to analysis of legal change.

This work analyzes the interaction between international law and the Russian legal system at a level of detail and sophistication without precedent in Russian legal doctrine. This topic has become vital for Russian courts because generally recognized principles and norms of international law and international treaties have become part of the Russian legal system since the Constitution of Russia was adopted in 1993. Great attention is paid in this study to Russian judicial practice in applying customary and treaty norms (the author had access to unpublished decisions in the archives of the Russian Supreme Court and other courts of the Russian Federation). The book also gives attention to the impact of decisions of international organizations and the practice of the European Court for Human Rights. The author sets out the legal foundations of the interaction between international law and municipal law in relations between subjects of international and national law, and he addresses at length whether and when the direct application of international legal norms is possible in the domestic legal relations of Russia. The book raises to a new level the continuing discussion of the correlation of international and national law. Classic concepts of monism and dualism cannot cope with all aspects of the interaction of international and national law. International Law and the Russian Legal System will be of interest to academics, practicing lawyers, government legal advisors, and investors.

Russia's international law persona is still in its infancy and it will take a while for the cycle to run its full course. However, significant changes have already occurred in some areas, thus offering an opportunity to analyze the trends here and track the process of emergence of successor doctrines and practices destined to replace the Soviet heritage. The quartet of topics selected for treatment in this volume - the relationship between international and domestic law; citizenship and state succession; the Sino-Russian boundary problem; and cooperation with China in policing crime - illustrates major shifts in Russia's international law policy in a bid to shed the corset of Communist ideology and the old regime's "modus operandi" and join the international community's mainstream culture. The test cases also attest to the difficulties encountered in the process of transition and show that progress on this front has by no means been uniform. The sample includes both instances where the break with the past looks quite pronounced and where greater distancing from precedent might logically have been expected, but, for reasons that are then explored, a sense of substantive continuity instead prevails, albeit made more palatable by an application of linguistic cosmetics. "From Soviet to Russian International Law: Studies in Continuity and" "Change" marks the occasion of the author's 65th birthday and the 40th anniversary of his publishing debut.

An examination of the effort to create a "law-based" state in the Gorbachev-era USSR, thus effecting a fundamental change in the relationship between the state and private groups and individuals. Social, historical, conceptual, and institutional aspects of legal development are discussed.

This book explores the historical origins of international law, with a focus on the contributions and participation of non-Western people.

An international team of authors looks at the role law has played in the transformation of Russia and evaluates the legal achievements of the Putin administration against the background of Russia's changing relationship with Europe.

Provides a detailed analysis of how Russia's understanding of international law has developed Draws on historical, theoretical, and practical perspectives to offer the reader the 'big picture' of Russia's engagement with international law Extensively uses sources and resources in the Russian language, including many which are not easily available to scholars outside of Russia

This addition to the Elements of International Law series explores the role of international law as an integral part of the Russian legal system, with particular reference to the role of international treaties and of generally-recognized principles and norms of international law. Following a discussion of the historical place of treaties in Russian legal history and the sources of the Russian law of treaties, the book strikes new ground in exploring contemporary treaty-making in the Russian Federation by drawing upon sources not believed to have been previously used in Russian or western doctrinal writings. Special attention is devoted to investment protection treaties. The importance of publishing treaties as a condition of their application by Russian courts is explored. For the first time a detailed account is given of the constitutional history of treaty ratification in Russia, the outcome being that present constitutional practice is inconsistent with the drafting history of the relevant constitutional provisions. The volume gives attention to the role of the Russian Supreme Court in developing treaty practice through the issuance of "guiding documents" binding on lower courts, the reaction of the Russian Constitutional Court to judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and the place of treaties as an integral part of the Russian legal system. Butler further explores the hierarchy of sources of law, together with other facets of Russian arbitral and judicial practice with respect to treaties and other sources of international law. He concludes with a consideration of the 'generally-recognized principles and norms of international law' and their role as part of the Russian system.