Duelling for Supremacy
International Law vs. National Fundamental Principles

Analyses national practices on conflicts between international law and national fundamental principles with a comparative perspective.

Fulvio Maria Palombino (Edited by)

9781108475266, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 May 2019

446 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.9 cm, 0.77 kg

It is a settled rule of international law that a State may not rely on the provisions of its 'internal law' as justification for failing to comply with international obligations. However, the judiciaries of most countries, including those with a high record of compliance with international norms, have increasingly felt the need to preserve the area of fundamental principles, where the State's inclination to retain full sovereignty seems to act as an unbreakable 'counter-limit' to the limitations deriving from international law. This volume explores this trend by adopting a comparative perspective, addressing the question of how conflicts between international law and national fundamental principles are dealt with and resolved within a specific legal system. The contributing authors identify common tendencies and fundamental differences in the approaches and evaluate the implications of this practice for the future of the principle of supremacy of international law.

1. Introduction Fulvio Maria Palombino
2. Brasil Paula Almeida
3. Canada Stéphane Beaulac
4. China Pierfrancesco Rossi
5. France Raphaële Rivier
6. Germany Niels Petersen
7. Greece Mariela Apostolaki and Antonios Tzanakopoulos
8. India Vinai Singh
9. Indonesia Simon Butt
10. Israel Yuval Shany
11. Italy Daniele Amoroso
12. Japan Hajime Yamamoto and Yota Negishi
13. Mexico Francisca Pou Giménez and Alejandro Rodiles
14. Netherlands André Nollkaemper and Rosanne van Alebeek
15. Nigeria Babafemi Akinrinade
16. Russia Maria Smirnova
17. South Africa Hannah Woolaver
18. Turkey Ikboljon Qoraboyev and Emre Turkut
19. United Kingdom Eirik Bjorge and Ewan Smith
20. United States David Sloss
21. Conclusions Fulvio Maria Palombino.

Subject Areas: Local government law [LNDU], Constitutional & administrative law [LND], Legal system: general [LNA], International courts & procedures [LBHG], Settlement of international disputes [LBH], Public international law [LBB], International law [LB], Comparative law [LAM], Systems of law [LAF]