Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Oxford Handbook of International Legal Theory provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the major thinkers, concepts, approaches, and debates that have shaped contemporary international legal theory. The Handbook features 48 original essays by leading international scholars from a wide range of traditions, nationalities, and perspectives, reflecting the richness and diversity of this dynamic field. The collection explores key questions and debates in international legal theory, offers new intellectual histories for the discipline, and provides fresh interpretations of significant historical figures, texts, and theoretical approaches. It provides a much-needed map of the field of international legal theory, and a guide to the main themes and debates that have driven theoretical work in international law. The Handbook will be an indispensable reference work for students, scholars, and practitioners seeking to gain an overview of current theoretical debates about the nature, function, foundations, and future role of international law.

'International law' is no longer a sufficient rubric to describe the complexities of law in an era of globalization. Accordingly, this collection situates cross-border norm development at the intersection of interdisciplinary scholarship on comparative law, conflict of laws, civil procedure, cyberlaw, legal pluralism and the cultural analysis of law, as well as traditional international law. It provides a broad range of seminal articles on transnational law-making, governmental and non-governmental networks, judicial influence and cooperation across borders, the dialectical relationships among national, international and non-state legal norms, and the possibilities of 'bottom-up' and plural law-making processes. The introduction situates these articles within the framework of law and globalization and suggests four important ways in which such a framework enlarges the traditional focus of international law. This book, therefore, provides a crucial reference for scholars and practitioners seeking to understand the varied processes of norm development in the emerging global legal order.

The disciplines of international law and international relations are inextricably linked. Both are concerned with the activities of states and with predicting how states behave and on what basis.For the international lawyer, however, the key concern is the role of the law. On the other hand, political scientists have traditionally regarded international law with skepticism, if not contempt. In recent years new approaches in both disciplines have seen moves towards greater interdisciplinary collaboration. Indeed, at the start of the twenty-first century, theorists from both disciplines are talking actively about the development of a dual agenda of international law and international relations. This means that students of international relations need increasingly to be familiar with the terminology and methodology of international law.This essential introductory text examines the key concepts in international law with a view to illuminating them in the context of international relations. The first part of the book provides coverage of theoretical issues, addressing questions such as: How does international law work? How is international law made? and To whom does international law apply? The second part examines international law in context, focusing on the role of treaties and customary international law, the role of individuals in international law and the legal control of the use of force. It also uses case-study material including an examination of the Pinochet litigation.

In terms of the South African Constitution of 1996 there is a general need for an introduction to comparative law and one that covers what is technically known as applied comparative law; more particularly applied comparative law that involves a study of the bills of rights in other countries.

This volume contains an extensive review of Dutch state practice from the parliamentary year 2000 2001. It includes an account of developments relating to treaties and other international agreements to which the Netherlands is a party, summaries of Netherlands judicial decisions involving questions of public international law, lists of Dutch publications in the field and extracts from relevant municipal legislation. Although the NYIL has a distinctive national character it is published in English, and the editors do not adhere to any geographical limitations when deciding upon the inclusion of articles.

Universalising international law is one of the most urgent tasks awaiting those who wish to advance the discipline. Though all the world acknowledges its universal nature, it has long been confined in a largely monocultural mould. Indeed a tendency is sometimes discernible for international law to be compartmentalised and to function within a close cabinet of technical rules little known to those outside the ranks of specialists. This volume looks initially at some general aspects of universalisation. It thereafter adopts a universalist approach to some of the sources of international law and it deals with peace, the bedrock of international law, which likewise requires a universalist approach. It is hoped that these studies will highlight the imperative need that now exists for extending the conceptual framework of international law, thereby buttressing its moral authority and widening its appeal at a time when universal acceptance of international law is one of the most pressing demands of the international system.

Why comply with international law when there is no world government to enforce it? Jens David Ohlin provides an alternate vision of international law based on a truly innovative theory of human rationality. Rationality requires that agents follow through on their plans even when faced with opportunities for defection.

Despite the unprecedented growth of arbitration and other means of ADR in treaties and transnational contracts in recent years, there remains no clearly defined mechanism for control of the system. One of the oldest yet largely marginalized concepts in law is the public policy exception. This doctrine grants discretion to courts to set aside private legal arrangements, including arbitration, which might be considered harmful to the "public". The exceptional and vague nature of the doctrine, along with the strong push of actors in dispute resolution, has transformed it, in certain jurisdictions, to a toothless doctrine. At the international level, the notion of transnational public policy has been devised in order to capture norms that are "truly" transnational and amenable for application in cross-border litigations. Yet, despite the importance of this discussion—a safety valve and a control mechanism for today’s international and domestic international dispute resolution— no major study has ventured to review and analyze it. This book provides a historical, theoretical and practical background on public policy in dispute resolution with a focus on cross-border and transnational disputes. Farshad Ghodoosi argues that courts should adopt a more systemic approach to public policy while rejecting notions such as transnational public policy, which limits the application of those norms with mandatory nature. Contrary to the current trend, the book invites the reader to re-conceptualize the role of public policy, and transnational dispute resolution, in order to have more sustainable, fair and efficient mechanisms for resolving disputes outside of national courts. The book sheds light on one of the most important yet often-neglected control mechanisms of today’s international dispute resolution and will be of particular interest to students and academics in the fields of International Investment Law, International Trade Law, Business and Economics.