In The Law of Nations in Early American Foreign Policy, Willem Theo Oosterveld provides the first general study of international law as interpreted and applied by the generation of the Founding Fathers. A mostly neglected aspect in the historiography of the early republic, this study argues that international law was in fact an integral part of the Revolutionary creed. Taking the reader from colonial debates about the law of nations to the discussions about slavery in the early 19th century, this study shows the zest of the Founders to conduct foreign policy on the basis of treatises such as Vattel’s The Law of Nations. But it also highlights the deep ambiguities and sometimes personal struggles that arose when applying international law.

The law of nations and the Constitution -- The law merchant and the Constitution -- The law of state-state relations and the Constitution -- The law of state-state relations in federal courts -- The law maritime and the Constitution -- Modern customary international law -- The inadequacy of existing theories of customary -- Judicial enforcement of customary international law against foreign nations -- Judicial enforcement of customary international law against the United States -- Judicial enforcement of customary international law against U.S. states

Wilhelm G. Grewe's "Epochen der Völkerrechtsgeschichte", published in 1984, is widely regarded as one of the classic twentieth century works of international law. This revised translation by Michael Byers of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, makes this important book available to non-German readers for the first time. "The Epocs of International Law" provides a theoretical overview and detailed analysis of the history of international law from the Middle Ages, to the Age of Discovery and the Thirty Years War, from Napoleon Bonaparte to the Treaty of Versailles, the Cold War and the Age of the Single Superpower, and does so in a way that reflects Grewe's own experience as one of Germany's leading diplomats and professors of international law. A new chapter, written by Wilhelm G. Grewe and Michael Byers, updates the book to October 1998, making the revised translation of interest to German international layers, international relations scholars and historians as well. Wilhelm G. Grewe was one of Germany's leading diplomats, serving as West German ambassador to Washington, Tokyo and NATO, and was a member of the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Subsequently professor of International Law at the University of Freiburg, he remains one of Germany's most famous academic lawyers. Wilhelm G. Grewe died in January 2000. Professor Dr. Michael Byers, Duke University, School of Law, Durham, North Carolina, formerly a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and a visiting Fellow of the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg.