The rule of law.

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book explores the promise and limitations of international criminal law as a means of enforcing international human rights and humanitarian law. It analyses the principal crimes, such as genocide and crimes against humanity, and appraises the mechanisms developed to bring individuals to justice.

This book confronts the problem of the legal uncertainty surrounding the definition and classification of ethnic cleansing, exploring whether the use of the term ethnic cleansing constitutes a valuable contribution to legal understanding and praxis. The premise underlying this book is that acts of ethnic cleansing are, first and foremost, a criminal issue and must therefore be precisely placed within the context of the international law order. In particular, it addresses the question of the specificity of the act and its relation to existing categories of international crime, exploring the relationship between ethnic cleansing and genocide, but also extending to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The book goes on to show how the current understanding of ethnic cleansing singularly fails to provide an efficient instrument for identification, and argues that the act, in having its own distinctive characteristics, conditions and exigencies, ought to be granted its own classification as a specific independent crime. Ethnic Cleansing: A Legal Qualification, will be of particular interest to students and scholars of International Law and Political Science.

Material breach of a treaty gives a right to the aggrieved party to suspend or terminate it. This book traces the origins and evolution of the concept of material breach and responses thereto. It undertakes a content analysis thereof, thus clarifying the practical legal problems involved. The effects of breach of treaty are also examined. This book highlights the rules relating to application of the principle of termination or suspension of treaties for material breach in terms of limitations and conditions of their application, consequences, and the course and procedures for termination or suspension. Finally, competence to determine the existence of material breach is examined. The book addresses the settlement of disputes arising from claims of termination or suspension for breach. This work will be of interest to scholars as well as diplomats and practitioners of international law.

Papers originally presented in a conference held at the Catholic University, Milan, on 10-11 May 2002.

The book explores the current role of nationality from the point of view of international law, reassessing the validity of the ‘classical’, state-centered, approach to nationality in light of the ‘new’ role the human being is gradually acquiring within the international legal order. In this framework, the collection assesses the impact of international human rights rules on the international discourse on nationality and explores the significance international (including private international) law attaches to the links individuals may establish with states other than that of nationality. The book weighs the significance of the bond of nationality in the context of regional integration systems, and explores the fields of international law in which nationality still plays a pivotal role, such as diplomatic protection and dispute settlement in international investment law. The collection includes contributions from legal scholars of different nationalities and academic backgrounds, and offers an excellent resource for academics, practitioners and students undertaking advanced studies in international law.

Examining the restitution of cultural property to Indigenous Peoples in human rights law, this book offers a detailed analysis of the opportunities and constraints of international law as a tool of resistance and social transformation for marginalized groups. In accordance with an increasing insistence on respect for diverse cultures, and through their own international mobilization, Indigenous Peoples have participated in the construction of a distinct human rights framework. Significant academic inquiry has focused on the substantive gains made by Indigenous Peoples in this context; along with its impact on a body of law that had previously denied Indigenous Peoples a basis for claims to their own cultural materials and practices. Accordingly, this book acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples, as non-state actors, have generated greater substantive and procedural legitimacy in human rights law making. Offering normative insights into the participation of non-state actors in international law making, it also, however, demonstrates that, despite their significant role in constructing the legal framework of human rights in the 21st century, the participation of Indigenous Peoples continues to be structurally limited. With its interdisciplinary approach to the field, this book will appeal to scholars and students in the fields of law, politics, anthropology and indigenous studies.

Inspired by Antonio Truyol y Serra’s classic work, Doctrines sur le fondement du Droit des gens, this book offers a fully revised and updated examination and discussion of the various doctrines forming the foundations of international law. It offers an accessible insight into the theoretical background of the various legal constructions that characterize the relationship between both international and national legal orders.

This book offers a comparative analysis of the institutional law of public international organizations, covering issues such as membership, institutional structure, decisions and decision-making, legal status, privileges and immunities. It has been designed to appeal to both academics and practitioners.