From Apology to Utopia

The Structure of International Legal Argument
Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-0-521-83806-1
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 704 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 1276 g

This book presents a critical view of international law as an argumentative practice that aims to 'depoliticise' international relations. Drawing from a range of materials, Koskenniemi demonstrates how international law becomes vulnerable to the contrasting criticisms of being either an irrelevant moralist Utopia or a manipulable façade for State interests. He examines the conflicts inherent in international law - sources, sovereignty, 'custom' and 'world order' - and shows how legal discourse about such subjects can be described in terms of a small number of argumentative rules. This book was originally published in English in Finland in 1989 and though it quickly became a classic, it has been out of print for some years. In 2006, Cambridge was proud to reissue this seminal text, together with a freshly written Epilogue in which the author both responds to critiques of the original work, and reflects on the effect and significance of his 'deconstructive' approach today.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Koskenniemi, Martti

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Objectivity in international law: conventional dilemmas; 2. Doctrinal history: the liberal doctrine of politics and its effect on international law; 3. The structure of modern doctrines; 4. Sovereignty; 5. Sources; 6. Custom; 7. Variations of world order: the structure of international legal argument; 8. Beyond objectivism; Epilogue; Bibliography and table of cases.

Über Autor(innen)

Koskenniemi, Martti
University of Helsinki.