Public International Law

Public International Law is an exhaustive and meticulously researched book addressing the very foundations of the law and the role public international law institutions may play in resolving many of the world’s disputes, conflicts and crises. Worldwide, on any given day, international legal disputes, transnational conflicts, tensions at sea, trade negotiations and boundary disputes pose a range of questions under international law.

In the current global economy, international law can no longer be the exclusive domain of lawyers. Corporate directors, international civil servants, foreign investment specialists, human rights advocates—even soldiers and military contractors—all demand some knowledge of international law. This is especially true for the hot-button topics of international law that impact not only states but also multinational corporations, international organizations, NGOs and individuals. These topics include the laws of war, corporate accountability for international crimes, trade and investment, environmental law, human rights, climate change, refugee and asylum issues and arms control.

Given the ever-increasing likelihood that legal practitioners will have to tackle an actual or potential application of international law, an exhaustive guide to international law such as this volume is an essential component of every lawyer’s library.

In a clear and systematic manner, this timely volume lays out the basic rights and responsibilities of states, corporate actors and individuals within the international arena. Descriptions and analyses of public international law topics, including the following, are presented:

state sovereignty and the legality of the use of force;
international environmental law;
nuclear non-proliferation;
sanctions and international trade law;
maritime disputes and the law of the sea;
international humanitarian law;
arms control and trade in armaments;
the law applicable in occupied and disputed territories;
status of refugees and asylum seekers; and
state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts.

While this book will most naturally be of interest to international lawyers, its clear, comprehensive and easily accessible contents will also be useful to a wide range of other audiences, including diplomats and policy makers whose activities depend on an understanding of public international law and its associated institutions.