The Everyday Makers of International Law
From Great Halls to Back Rooms

Part essay, part novel, this book reveals how international courts produce their judgments and what invisible actors shape their decisions.

Tommaso Soave (Author)

9781009248006, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 November 2022

352 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 2.4 cm, 0.69 kg

This book offers a unique insight into the inner workings of international courts and tribunals. Combining the rigour of the essay and the creativity of the novel, Tommaso Soave narrates the invisible practices and interactions that make up the dispute settlement process, from the filing of the initial complaint to the issuance of the final decision. At each step, the book unravels the myriad activities of the legal experts running the international judiciary – judges, arbitrators, agents, counsel, advisors, bureaucrats, and specialized academics – and reveals their pervasive power in the process. The cooperation and competition among these inner circles of professionals lie at the heart of international judicial decisions. By shedding light on these social dynamics, Soave takes the reader on a journey through the lives, ambitions, and preoccupations of the everyday makers of international law.

1. Carnegieplein 2, 10:00 am
2. Coffee, cigarettes, and international judicial practices
3. A new generation of litigators
4. Telling a story
5. The invisible army
6. The three wise monkeys
7. The lyophilization of life
8. The memo
9. To capture the world
10. Bricolage
11. The explorer
12. A four-letter word
13. What does it mean…
14. The stage
15. The moment of (constructed) truth
16. Truth woven together
17. Spijkermakersstraat 9, 8:00 pm.

Subject Areas: Laws of Specific jurisdictions [LN], International courts & procedures [LBHG], Settlement of international disputes [LBH], Public international law [LBB], International law [LB]