International Law

by Vaughan Lowe

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.

Genres: Law

298 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting overview of international law, from a lot of different perspectives, looks at the concepts, such as opino juris and jus cogens, and jus in bello, jus ad bellum, as well as the parameters of international law, treaties, conventions, customary law. Then, he goes through a variety of applications of IL, including for states, within states, for the global economy, armed conflict, environment, and human, social and economic rights. One thing I really liked was the use of case law and case studies, like the Trail Smelter Case- which was the founding principle for the idea of polluter pays, or the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which established exclusive economic zones (EEZ) for 200 miles off the coast of maritime states.
Two concepts I definitely agree with is that a) international law is changing- more and more non-state actors and IOs are becoming more important. This goes for both the global economy, where the World Bank, and IMF play integral roles, but also for law of armed conflict, where even the nature of combatants, not as state actors but as rebels, militias or guerrillas, are more important now than ever before. The scope, Lowe says, of international law is broader than ever before, encompassing a wide variety of subjects.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

technical.