The Politics of International Law

This volume advances a new perspective on the politics of international law, illustrated through case studies.

Christian Reus-Smit (Edited by)

9780521837668, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 April 2004

348 pages
23.6 x 16 x 2.6 cm, 0.648 kg

'… has something to offer to both practitioners and theoreticians of international law …' Leiden Journal of International Law

Politics and law appear deeply entwined in contemporary international relations. Yet existing perspectives struggle to understand the complex interplay between these aspects of international life. In this path-breaking volume, a group of leading international relations scholars and legal theorists advance a new constructivist perspective on the politics of international law. They reconceive politics as a field of human action that stands at the intersection of issues of identity, purpose, ethics, and strategy, and define law as an historically contingent institutional expression of such politics. They explain how liberal politics has conditioned modern international law and how law 'feeds back' to constitute international relations and world politics. This new perspective on the politics of international law is illustrated through detailed case-studies of the use of force, climate change, landmines, migrant rights, the International Criminal Court, the Kosovo bombing campaign, international financial institutions, and global governance.

1. Introduction Christian Reus-Smit
2. The politics of international law Christian Reus-Smit
3. When states use armed force Dino Kritsiotis
4. Soft law, hard politics, and the Climate Change Treaty Robyn Eckersley
5. Emerging customary norms, and anti-personnel landmines Richard Price
6. International law, politics, and migrant rights Amy Gurowitz
7. The International Criminal Court David Wippman
8. The Kosovo bombing campaign Nicholas Wheeler
9. International financial institutions Antony Anghie
10. Law, politics, and international governance Wayne Sandholtz and Alec Stone Sweet
11. Socety, power, and ethics Christian Reus-Smit.

Subject Areas: International law [LB], International relations [JPS], Political science & theory [JPA]