Is International Law International?

by Anthea Roberts, Martti Koskenniemi (Foreword)

This book takes the reader on a sweeping tour of the international legal field to reveal some of the patterns of difference, dominance, and disruption that belie international law's claim to universality. Pulling back the curtain on the "divisible college of international lawyers," Anthea Roberts shows how international lawyers in different states, regions, and geopolitical groupings are often subject to distinct incoming influences and outgoing spheres of influence in ways that reflect and reinforce differences in how they understand and approach international law. These divisions manifest themselves in contemporary controversies, such as debates about Crimea and the South China Sea.Not all approaches to international law are created equal, however. Using case studies and visual representations, the author demonstrates how actors and materials from some states and groups have come to dominate certain transnational flows and forums in ways that make them disproportionately influential in constructing the "international." This point holds true for Western actors, materials, and approaches in general, and for Anglo-American (and sometimes French) ones in particular. However, these patterns are set for disruption. As the world moves past an era of Western dominance and toward greater multipolarity, it is imperative for international lawyers to understand the perspectives and approaches of those coming from diverse backgrounds. By taking readers on a comparative tour of different international law academies and textbooks, the author encourages them to see the world through the eyes of others -- an essential skill in this fast changing world of shifting power dynamics and rising nationalism.

Genres: Law, International Relations

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2017

About the author

Anthea Roberts is Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at Australian National University and author of the prizewinning Is International Law International? In 2019, she was named the world’s leading international law scholar by League of Scholars.

Reviews

[Ned Cheston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roberts takes what might ordinarily be described as fairly mundane topics - textbook authorship and academics' educational backgrounds - and weaves them into a thoroughly thought-provoking and animated discussion. The book forensically demonstrates how these seemingly miniature forces sustain Western hegemony in the domain of international law. Its 320~ pages prompted in me a reflection on how I have been educated thus far and how I might want to be educated in the future.

Loss of a star because I thought the case-studies offered in the final substantive chapter were slightly too disconnected to the theory that Roberts develops. Overall, however, this is a cracker.

[Cahyo Purnomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

International lawyers from all over the world may have different understanding and experiences on how international law works. As the scope is quite broad, a specialist is needed to focus on certain field such as human rights, law of the sea, international trade law, international environmental law and so on. Time will tell who will the rule taker, rule shaker or rule breaker in this current global competition!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. The best book I’ve read on international law. This makes a case against fragmentation of disciplines, networks, and communities. Really brilliant!!!! If you want to enrich your understanding of international law, and its inner workings, its relationship with geopolitics, how we unconsciously create silos within fields, this is your book.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"International law aspires to be the world’s Esperanto." An astonishing, necessary book.