The Academy is a prestigious international institution for the study and teaching of Public and Private International Law and related subjects. The work of the Hague Academy receives the support and recognition of the UN. Its purpose is to encourage a thorough and impartial examination of the problems arising from international relations in the field of law. The courses deal with the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject, including legislation and case law. All courses at the Academy are, in principle, published in the language in which they were delivered in the "Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law .

The arrival of the "International Law: Achievements and Prospects" can fairly be described as a major event in international legal publishing. It has been written by international lawyers from the North, the South, the East and the West, whose differing origins and different, or even opposed, academic backgrounds have ensured that the book encapsulates and brings into focus the main forms of civilization' and the principal legal systems of the world'. The book's most distinctive feature is its international, multi-cultural and polyphonic nature. "International Law: Achievements and Prospects" aims to inform and to educate, to make the discipline of international law accessible to a very broad public, and to promote a meeting of minds on fundamental notions, key concepts, and the guiding principles of international law, over and beyond frontiers, ideologies and doctrines. In addition, it is intended to provide a framework for thought, to describe what international law is today, to specify its nature, define its purpose and show its strengths, and also to point out its weaknesses. All the contributing authors are or have been practitioners of international law. Their contributions express a global view of international law which helps to unravel the complex reality of the contemporary world. "International Law: Achievements and Prospects" has been produced under the auspices of UNESCO; its content also aspires to reflect, in some measure, the imprint of that Organization's sponsorship.

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.