Perceptions of State
The US State Department and International Law

Explores when, why, and how the US and other countries comply with international law through interviews with senior US officials.

Philip Moremen (Author)

9781108835152, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 June 2024

272 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 2.1 cm, 0.55 kg

'Drawing heavily on the impressions of a sample of State Department personnel (assistants and undersecretaries) drawn from the H. W. Bush administration through the Trump administration, Perceptions of State provides a concise, reasoned analysis of the conditions in which - and the extent to which - the US and other states have supported and adhered to international law … Recommended.' C. W. Herrick, Choice

Why, and to what extent, are states more or less likely to comply with international law? No overarching state compels compliance, and the international institutional context is thin, yet states seem largely to comply. How do we explain this behaviour? Developed through interviews with eighty State Department senior officials from across five recent administrations, Philip Moremen provides a qualitatively and quantitatively rich study of the extent to which and under what conditions the United States and other countries comply with international law. US policymakers consider legal issues, national interest, and other factors together when making decisions-law is not always dispositive. Nevertheless, international law constrains states. In State Department policymaking there is a strong culture of respect for international law, and lawyers play a highly influential role. In this context, the book concludes by investigating the effect of the Trump Administration on the culture and processes of the State Department.

1. Introduction
2. Background literature
3. State compliance with International Law
4. Compliance by the United States
5. The role of International Law in state department policymaking
6. The Trump Administration and International Law in the state department
7. Conclusion
Appendices
Index.

Subject Areas: Public international law [LBB]