The twenty-first century will witness conflicts which may destabilize the international order. These conflicts are likely to arise between emerging Asian States such as China and India whose material power is growing, and the Western nations who wield significant ideational power. A West-centric international society will change to a multi-polar and multi-civilizational global society. This structural change includes, and further needs, changes of understandings and perceptions of the world, including of international law. The perspectives from which we see, understand, appreciate and assess international law must change. We need to interpret international law not only from a prevalent Statecentric international perspective and West-centric transnational perspective. Onuma argues that we must grasp international law from what he calls a trans-civilizational perspective as well. By adopting such three-layered perspectives, international law is shown to be functioning as a tool of politics yet constrained by cultural and civilizational factors. Such complex subjects as global history of international law, concepts of general and customary international law, and human rights could be appreciated in a more nuanced and subtle manner.

This book adopts a 'trans-civilizational' perspective on the history and development of current West-centric international law.

With the resurgence of Asian nations such as China, current West-centric international law is changing in the twenty-first century. There is a pressing need to address these changes within international legal studies and overcome potential conflicts between existing and emerging powers. This structural transformation also demands a change in understanding of existing ideas and institutions. This book explores a 'trans-civilizational' approach to international law, supplementing and modifying two other prevalent perspectives: international and transnational. By considering these three layered viewpoints, this book highlights the complex phenomena surrounding the history and development of international law. The author also considers how international law operates and functions within diverse forums such as diplomatic negotiation, international organizations, and domestic political processes. This book will appeal to international law scholars and students, as well as those interested in the rise of non-Western powers and its impact on the prevalent ideas and institutions of the world.

This collection of essays gathers contributions from leading international lawyers from different countries, generations and angles with the aim of highlighting the multifaceted history of international law. This volume questions and analyses the origins and foundations of the international legal system. A particular attention is devoted to Hugo Grotius as one of the founding fathers of the law of nations. Several contributions further question the positivist tradition initiated by Vattel and endorsed by scholars of the 19th Century. This immersion in the intellectual origins of international law is enriched by an inquiry into the practice of the law of nations, including its main patterns and changing evolution as well as the role of non-western traditions and the impact of colonization. Le présent ouvrage réunit les contributions de juristes internationaux reconnus en vue d’éclairer les multiples facettes de l’histoire du droit international public. L’ouvrage analyse et questionne les origines et les fondements de l’ordre juridique international. Une attention toute particulière est dédiée à Hugo Grotius l’un des pères fondateurs du droit international. D’autres contributions questionnent également la tradition positiviste initiée par Vattel et confortée par la doctrine du 19ème siècle. Cette immersion dans les origines doctrinales du système juridique international est enrichie par l’étude de la pratique du droit international public, son évolution ainsi que le rôle des traditions non-occidentales et l’impact de la colonisation.

This concise book is an introduction to the role of international law in international relations. Written for lawyers and non-lawyers alike, the book first appeared in 1928 and attracted a wide readership. This new edition builds on Brierly's scholarship and his idea that law must serve a social purpose. Previous editions of The Law of Nations have been the standard introduction to international law for decades, and are widely popular in many different countries due to the simplicity and brevity of the prose style. Providing a comprehensive overview of international law, this new version of the classic book retains the original qualities and is again essential reading for all those interested in learning what role the law plays in international affairs. The reader will find chapters on traditional and contemporary topics such as: the basis of international obligation, the role of the UN and the International Criminal Court, the emergence of new states, the acquisition of territory, the principles covering national jurisdiction and immunities, the law of treaties, the different ways of settling international disputes, and the rules on resort to force and the prohibition of aggression.

What legal principles apply when courts in different jurisdictions are simultaneously seised with the same dispute ? This question — of international lis pendens — has long been controversial. But it has taken on new and urgent importance in our age. Globalization has driven an unprecedented rise in forum shopping between national courts and a proliferation of new international tribunals. Problems of litispendence have spawned some of the most dramatic litigation of modern times — from anti-suit injunction battles in commercial disputes, to the appeals of prisoners on death row to international human rights tribunals. The way we respond to this challenge has profound theoretical implications for the interaction of legal systems in today’s pluralistic world. In this wide-ranging survey, McLachlan analyses the problems of parallel litigation — in private and public international law and international arbitration. He argues that we need to develop a more sophisticated set of rules of conflict of litigation, guided by a cosmopolitan conception of the rule of law. Quels principes juridiques font foi lorsque des tribunaux de différentes juridictions sont saisis simultanément pour le même litige ? La problématique de la litispendance internationale a longtemps été controversée. Mais, de nos jours, elle devient de plus en plus importante. La mondialisation a entrainé une augmentation sans précédent de surenchères judiciaires entre les tribunaux nationaux, ainsi qu’une prolifération de nouveaux tribunaux internationaux. Les problèmes de litispendance ont engendré quelques uns des litiges les plus dramatiques des temps modernes, allant des batailles d’anti-suit injunction lors de litiges commerciaux aux appels des prisonniers dans le couloir de la mort devant les tribunaux internationaux des droits de l’Homme. La manière dont nous faisons face à ce défi a de grandes implications théoriques pour les interactions des systèmes judiciaires dans notre monde pluraliste. Dans cette étude de grande envergure, McLachlan analyse les problèmes de litiges parallèles au niveau du droit international privé et public, ainsi que l’arbitrage international. Selon lui, nous devons concevoir de nouvelles règles plus sophistiquées concernant les conflits de litiges, tout en respectant une conception cosmopolite de l’Etat de droit.

Through the analysis of Al-Shaybani's most prolific work As-Siyar Al Kabier, this book offers a unique insight into the classic Islamic perspective on international law. Despite being recognised as one of the earliest contributors to the field of international law, there has been little written, in English, on Al-Shaybani's work; this book will go some way towards filling the lacuna. International Islamic Law examines Al-Shaybani's work alongside that of other leading scholars such as: Augustine, Gratian, Aquinas, Vitoria and Grotius, proving a full picture of early thinking on international law. Individual chapters provide discussion on Al-Shaybani's writing in relation to war, peace, the consequences of war and diplomatic missions. Khaled Ramadan Bashir uses contemporary international law vocabulary to enable the reader to consider Al-Shaybani's writing in a modern context.This book will be a useful and unique resource for scholars in the field of Islamic International Law, bringing together and translating a number of historical sources to form one accessible and coherent text. Scholars researching the historical and jurisprudential origins of public international law topics, such as: international humanitarian law, 'just war', international dispute resolution, asylum and diplomacy will also find the book to be an interesting and valuable text.

The world in which we find ourselves today is no longer governable entirely by resort to the classical system of international law. Even more seriously, it would seem that the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter are no longer being served sufficiently in light of new concerns. The text adopted in 1945 does not convey the image of a world tormented by terrorists. Nor does it reflect the most pressing commitments of our time: to democratic governance, to environmental responsibility, and to a freer and more equitable system of world trade. Increasingly, the international law community acknowledges the need to set new priorities in the development of international law. To that end it seems timely to reconsider the case for strengthening the constitutional framework of norms and institutions that seemed to offer the promise of fulfillment in the second half of the 20th century. The post-Cold War euphoria of the 1990s has virtually evaporated under the stress of new concerns at a time when states comprising the UN system are no longer capable of addressing these challenges. Towards World Constitutionalism argues the case for a more 'constitutionalized' system of international law and diplomacy. It is published at a time that the call for reform of the United Nations has become more insistent than at any time in its 60-year history. Even those most faithful to the purposes and principles enunciated in the Charter have had to admit to concerns about the management of certain sectors of the organization; and most concede the unrepresentative character of the powerful Security Council granted legal supremacy as the enforcer of international peace and security. Many go further and complain of unconscionable political bias in the General Assembly and in certain, over politicized, agencies. This collection of essays, by a selection of distinguished scholars representing various traditions of international law, constitutes a major contribution to this debate. It is an important resource for scholars and practitioners, and for all those concerned with the future of international law, and the world community.

This book analyzes China’s attitude to international law based on historical experiences and documents, and provides an explanation of China’s approaches to international legal issues. It also establishes several elements for a possible framework of Chinese theory on international law. The book offers researchers, university students and practitioners valuable insights into how China views international law and why it does so in the way it does.