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.

This book offers a unique survey of legal practices and ideas relating to international relations in the Ancient Near East between 2500 and 330 BC.

Emmanuelle Jouannet explores the concept of international law from the European Enlightenment to the post-Cold War world.

This is the first book to examine in detail the relationship between the Cold War and International Law.

The dislocations of the worldwide economic crisis, the necessity of a system of global justice to address crimes against humanity, and the notorious 'democratic deficit' of international institutions highlight the need for an innovative and truly global legal system, one that permits humanity to re-order itself according to acknowledged global needs and evolving consciousness. A new global law will constitute, by itself, a genuine legal order and will not be limited to a handful of moral principles that attempt to guide the conduct of the world's peoples. If the law of nations served the hegemonic interests of Ancient Rome, and international law served those of the European nation-state, then a new global law will contribute to the common good of all humanity and, ideally, to the development of durable world peace. This volume offers a historical-juridical foundation for the development of this new global law.

This book brings together 18 contributions by authors from different legal systems and backgrounds. They address the political implications of the writing of the history of legal issues ranging from slavery over the use of force and extraterritorial jurisdiction to Eurocentrism.

This book provides an examination of whether there is a legally independent 'principle of humanity' in international humanitarian law.