Interest in international law has increased greatly over the past decade, largely because of its central place in discussions such as the Iraq War and Guantanamo, the World Trade Organisation, the anti-capitalist movement, the Kyoto Convention on climate change, and the apparent failure of the international system to deal with the situations in Palestine and Darfur, and the plights of refugees and illegal immigrants around the world. This Very Short Introduction explains what international law is, what its role in international society is, and how it operates. Vaughan Lowe examines what international law can and cannot do and what it is and what it isn't doing to make the world a better place. Focussing on the problems the world faces, Lowe uses terrorism, environmental change, poverty, and international violence to demonstrate the theories and practice of international law, and how the principles can be used for international co-operation.

This work comprises 24 linked essays by leading transatlantic scholars in international law and the social sciences examining the sociolegal aspects of multi-jurisdictional legal techniques and trans-jurisdictional social phenomena. The contributors bring a range of disciplinary expertises including anthropology, economics, law and sociology to bear on key questions raised by transnational legal processes. The pieces explore legal developments in multiple territories including Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. The volume is designed as a general reader for courses on law and globalisation and related studies. The collection is made up of four parts, each addressing a central theme in transnational law and legal action (law-making and compliance), human rights, commerce and governance. The essays discuss such diverse problems as: the role of foreign actors in the ethnic conflicts of Kosovo and Rwanda; the power the United States and the UK wield over international capital markets; and the adaptability of existing public international law to deal with the challenges wrought by globalisation.

Of all legal subjects, international law is at once the most richly varied and arguably the least understood, even by lawyers. For the past two decades it has been the focus of intense analysis by legal philosophers, international relations specialists, linguists, professional lawyers, historians, economists, and political scientists, as well as those who study, teach, and practice the discipline. Yet, the realities of international trade and communication mean that regulations in one State often directly affect matters within others. In the established tradition of the Clarendon Law Series, International Law is both an introduction to the subject and a critical consideration of its central themes and debates. The book explores the scope and function of international law, and explains how it helps to underpin our international political and economic systems. It then goes on to examine the wider theoretical implications of international law's role in modern society, including issues such as the independence of states, limits of national freedom of choice, human rights, and international crime.

With the fall of communism and the appearance of a new world order, it is hoped that the United Nations will become the principle organisation for the regulation of relations between states as well as for the settlement of conflict. The recent crises over Iraq and the continued bloodshed in the former Yugoslavia have ensured a higher profile for the United Nations but have at the same time placed great pressure on that organisation to resolve conflict and organise relations between states in a manner that is acceptable to the international community. The essays collected in this volume are published in conjunction with the International Law Group. Providing valuable statements of the fundamentals of international law from leading authorities, they re-examine the Declaration of Principles of International Law Governing Friendly Relations Between States. The Declaration is the nearest thing that states have to an international constitution and embodies the fundamental values of the international legal system. The great changes in the international system since 1989 hold out the prospect of the reinvigoration of the Charter, perhaps for a new system of international legal relations, and make the reconsideration of the Declaration particularly timely.

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the International Court of Justice, a distinguished group of international judges, practitioners and academics has undertaken a major review of its work. The chapters discuss the main areas of substantive law with which the Court has been concerned, and the more significant aspects of its practice and procedure in dealing with cases before it. It discusses the role of the Court in the international legal order, and its relationship with the UN's political organs. The thirty-three chapters are presented under five headings: the Court; the sources and evidences of international law; substance of international law; procedural aspects of the Court's work; the Court and the UN. It has been prepared in honour of Sir Robert Jennings, judge and sometime President of the Court.

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the International Court of Justice, a distinguished group of international judges, practitioners and academics has undertaken a major review of its work. The chapters discuss the main areas of substantive law with which the Court has been concerned, and the more significant aspects of its practice and procedure in dealing with cases before it. It discusses the role of the Court in the international legal order and its relationship with the political organs of the United Nations. The thirty-three chapters are presented under five headings: the Court; the sources and evidence of international law; substance of international law; procedural aspects of the Court's work; the Court and the United Nations. It has been prepared in honour of Sir Robert Jennings, judge and sometime President of the Court.

In the established tradition of the Clarendon Law Series, International Law is both an introduction to the subject and a critical consideration of its central themes and debates. This book explores the scope and functioning of international law, and how it helps to underpin our international political and economic systems. It goes on to examine the wider theoretical implications of international law's role in modern society. The opening chapters of the book explain how international law underpins the international political and economic system by establishing the basic principle of the independence of States, and their right to choose their own political, economic, and cultural systems. Subsequent chapters focus on the limits of national freedom of choice - the interntional minimum standards set in international human rights law, and the 'macro-political' rights of minorities, and the rights of peoples to self-determination. Two final chapters look at the international law principles applicable to the use of force and the control of international crime, as well as the processes for the prevention and settlement of international disputes. Of all legal subjects, international law is at once the most richly variegated and arguably the least understood, even by lawyers. For the past two decades it has been the focus of intense analysis and comment by legal philosophers, international relations specialists, linguists, professional lawyers, historians, economists, and political scientists, as well as those who study, teach, and practice the discipline.Yet, the realities of international trade and communication mean that regulations in one State often directly affect matters within others. This book explains how through the organizing concepts of territory, sovereignty, and jurisdiction international law seeks to achieve an established set of principles according to which the power to make and enforce policies is distributed among States.

This is the first major exploration of the United Nations Security Council's part in addressing the problem of war, both civil and international, since 1945. Both during and after the Cold War the Council has acted in a limited and selective manner, and its work has sometimes resulted in failure. It has not been--and was never equipped to be--the center of a comprehensive system of collective security. However, it remains the body charged with primary responsibility for international peace and security. It offers unique opportunities for international consultation and military collaboration, and for developing legal and normative frameworks. It has played a part in the reduction in the incidence of international war in the period since 1945.
The United Nations Security Council and War examines the extent to which the work of the UN Security Council, as it has evolved, has or has not replaced older systems of power politics and practices regarding the use of force. Its starting point is the failure to implement the UN Charter scheme of having combat forces under direct UN command. Instead, the Council has advanced the use of international peacekeeping forces; it has authorized coalitions of states to take military action; and it has developed some unanticipated roles such as the establishment of post-conflict transitional administrations, international criminal tribunals, and anti-terrorism committees.
The book, bringing together distinguished scholars and practitioners, draws on the methods of the lawyer, the historian, the student of international relations, and the practitioner. It begins with an introductory overview of the Council's evolving roles and responsibilities. It then discusses specific thematic issues, and through a wide range of case studies examines the scope and limitations of the Council's involvement in war. It offers frank accounts of how belligerents viewed the UN, and how the Council acted and sometimes failed to act. The appendices provide comprehensive information--much of it not previously brought together in this form--of the extraordinary range of the Council's activities.
This book is a project of the Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.

The fully revised and updated new edition of this authoritative work provides a clear and detailed analysis of the institutions and procedures for the settlement of international disputes. There has been a continued expansion of the number of international tribunals and the number of cases before international courts in recent years. The proliferation of such fora and of the jurisprudence they generate has made it essential to understand and regulate evolving and competing jurisdictions. This new edition authoritatively sets out the substance and procedure of the law of international dispute settlement in the context of these new developments. The first part of the book examines the different methods and institutions of dispute settlement. It introduces the most important dispute settlement methods and discusses the role of domestic courts in settling international disputes. It assesses the institutions of general jurisdiction, notably the International Court of Justice, and the various sectoral regimes of dispute settlement. Part two provides a comprehensive examination of procedure before an international court or tribunal. It sets out the shared elements of procedure, while also highlighting the important procedural differences between the various international courts and arbitral bodies. This section includes an discussion of the law of evidence and the conduct of counsel in international adjudication. The third part focuses on the problems facing the system of international dispute settlement as a result of the proliferation of dispute resolution mechanisms, and the augmenting specialization and fragmentation of international law. It analyses the various ways competing jurisdictions can be regulated to avoid creating conflicting decisions, and the resultant systemic incoherence. The book remains essential reading for both students of international law and international legal practitioners.

With the fall of communism and the appearance of a new world order, the United Nations hopes to become the principle organization for the regulation of relations between states as well as for the settlement of conflict. The recent crises over Iraq and the continued bloodshed in the former Yugoslavia have ensured a higher profile for the United Nations but have also placed great pressure on that organization to resolve conflict and organize relations between states in a manner that is acceptable to the international community. The essays collected in this volume are published in conjunction with the International Law Group. Providing statements of the fundamentals of international law from leading authorities, they re-examine the Declaration of Principles of International Law Governing Friendly Relations Between States. The Declaration is the nearest thing that states have to an international constitution and embodies the fundamental values of the international legal system. The great changes in the international system since 1989 hold out the prospect of the re-evaluation of the Charter, and perhaps for a new system of international legal relations.

The fully revised and updated new edition of this authoritative work provides a clear and detailed analysis of the institutions and procedures for the settlement of international disputes. There has been a continued expansion of the number of international tribunals and the number of cases before international courts in recent years. The proliferation of such fora and of the jurisprudence they generate has made it essential to understand and regulate evolving and competing jurisdictions. This new edition authoritatively sets out the substance and procedure of the law of international dispute settlement in the context of these new developments. The first part of the book examines the different methods and institutions of dispute settlement. It introduces the most important dispute settlement methods and discusses the role of domestic courts in settling international disputes. It assesses the institutions of general jurisdiction, notably the International Court of Justice, and the various sectoral regimes of dispute settlement. Part two provides a comprehensive examination of procedure before an international court or tribunal. It sets out the shared elements of procedure, while also highlighting the important procedural differences between the various international courts and arbitral bodies. This section includes an discussion of the law of evidence and the conduct of counsel in international adjudication. The third part focuses on the problems facing the system of international dispute settlement as a result of the proliferation of dispute resolution mechanisms, and the augmenting specialization and fragmentation of international law. It analyses the various ways competing jurisdictions can be regulated to avoid creating conflicting decisions, and the resultant systemic incoherence. The book remains essential reading for both students of international law and international legal practitioners.

This book surveys the range of procedures for the settlement of international disputes, whether the disputes arise between States or between States and corporations or individuals. The first part of the book examines non-judicial procedures such as negotiation, mediation, fact-finding, as well as judicial procedures. In the second part of the book the emerging principles of procedural law applied in these tribunals are discussed. Here the authors go through the many and complex stages of the settlement process.

This book surveys the range of procedures for the settlement of international disputes, whether the disputes arise between States or between States and corporations or individuals. The first part of the book examines non-judicial procedures such as negotiation, mediation, fact-finding, as well as judicial procedures. In the second part of the book the emerging principles of procedural law applied in these tribunals are discussed. Here the authors go through the many and complex stages of the settlement process.

Transition to Journals
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Now in its 80th year, the British Year Book of International Law has become an essential work of reference for academics and practicing lawyers. Through a mixture of articles and extended book reviews it continues to provide indispensable analysis on important developments in modern international law. In addition, through its exhaustive coverage of decisions in UK courts and official government statements, the British Year Book offers unique insight into the development of state practice in the United Kingdom.

Now in its 71st year, the British Year Book of International Law has become an essential work of reference for academics and practising lawyers. Through a mixture of articles and in-depth surveys of areas of international law it continues to provide up-to-date information on important developments in modern international law.