Judge Shigeru Oda, having served since 1976 in three successive nine-year terms on the International Court of Justice, has helped to shape the Court's jurisprudence for over a quarter century. His influence on the law of the sea spans an even longer period, beginning with his doctoral dissertation at Yale Law school in the 1950s and continuing with his involvement in the First, Second and Third UN Conferences on the Law of the Sea. In a tribute to Judge Oda's significant contributions to international law, leading scholars on the law of the sea, international dispute settlement and the ICJ itself have produced a Festschrift in his honour that promises to be a standard reference work on these topics for years to come. This two volume work, containing over 95 articles, begins by examining the role of the international judge and the jurisdiction of international tribunals (including reservations to jurisdiction, the Optional Clause, the Special Agreement, and the power to indicate special measures). It contains a particularly lively debate regarding the proliferation of international tribunals and whether the potential for conflicting decisions is problematic or productive. Other areas of focus include the history and current development of the law of the sea; the first in-depth examination of the establishment and first decisions of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea; and the ICJ's treatment of the development, doctrines and sources of international law. Further sections are devoted to International Litigation as analysed by leading practitioners; Land and Maritime Boundaries, International Watercourses and Other Waters; and Defence, the Use of Force and the Law of Armed Conflict. The composition of the editorial team - Nisuke Ando of Kyoto, Edward McWhinney of Ottawa and Rüdiger Wolfrum of Heidelberg - reflects Judge Oda's truly international career and the extent to which his work has drawn from and contributed to diverse legal traditions. The print edition is available as a set of two volumes (9789041117908).

Straits are peripheral formations in the study of geography, but have long been a source of controversy in international relations. They connect separate seas and divide the territory of states. This geographical fact invites legal disputes over international boundary drawing, request forpassage by foreign ships, assertion of territorial control over the waters forming straits, and the basis for a regime generally accepted as law in our times. This is a thorough and well-documented book which combines elements of history, geography, international shipping, and the law of the sea. Itasks the central question: what exactly is the current law governing this area, and also goes on to consider the concept of international straits, the distinction between existing treaty-based regimes and the general regime, and the special characteristics of straits that separate them from similararms of the sea in terms of law. In answering these questions, the author takes us back to the first regime for international straits in 1949, through to the practices of the present day. This will be an invaluable text for all international lawyers, particularly those specializing in the law ofsea.

There is a growing awareness that international law insufficiently protects common global interests and that States and non-State actors need to work together to protect global aims. The focus of this book is on the different fields of international law where there is a need for global cooperation to achieve common aims, for example: the law of the sea; protection of world cultural heritage; sustainable development, biological diversity and climate change; human rights; and international crimes. The volume also identifies the legal developments which have taken place, for example treaties which use the language of ’common heritage of mankind’ or ’common concern of humanity’, thereby identifying global concerns and reflecting a global set of values and interests independent of the interests of States.