This book examines the features and functions of international legitimacy and how these change over time.

In international negotiations, the question of the design and the legal form of the negotiated instrument is as complex as it is often controversial. Intended as a read for both practitioners and academics, this book provides a comprehensive treatise of the characteristics, the potential and the limits of nonbinding instruments in international environmental law and governance. An extensive overview and typology of nonbinding instruments as well as several case studies from the areas of fisheries (FAO), hazardous substances (UNEP/FAO) and corporate social responsibility (OECD) provide the material for an in-depth analysis of the role of nonbinding instruments on all levels of governance. The book demonstrates the potential but also highlights the limits of nonbinding instruments in the interplay with customary and treaty law (e.g. UNCLOS, WTO) as bases for interinstitutional linkages and as tools to shape the behaviour of states and private actors. Legitimacy challenges arising from this form of exercise of authority are then discussed in the final chapter, alongside with remedies to address possible concerns.

Investigates the legitimacy of 'unseen actors' (e.g. registries, experts) through an enquiry into international courts' and tribunals' composition and practice.

One of the most noted developments in international law over the past twenty years is the proliferation of international courts and tribunals. They decide who has the right to exploit natural resources, define the scope of human rights, delimit international boundaries and determine when the use of force is prohibited. As the number and influence of international courts grow, so too do challenges to their legitimacy. This volume provides new interdisciplinary insights into international courts' legitimacy: what drives and undermines the legitimacy of these bodies? How do drivers change depending on the court concerned? What is the link between legitimacy, democracy, effectiveness and justice? Top international experts analyse legitimacy for specific international courts, as well as the links between legitimacy and cross-cutting themes. Failure to understand and respond to legitimacy concerns can endanger both the courts and the law they interpret and apply.

This book traverses the disciplines of law, political philosophy and international relations in assessing the normative legitimacy of international human rights regimes.

The world's only annual publication devoted to the study of the laws of armed conflict, the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law provides a truly international forum for high-quality, peer-reviewed academic articles focusing on this highly topical branch of international law. Ease of use of the Yearbook is guaranteed by the inclusion of a detailed index. Distinguished by its topicality and contemporary relevance, the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law bridges the gap between theory and practice and serves as a useful reference tool for scholars, practitioners, military personnel, civil servants, diplomats, human rights workers and students.

This book investigates the legitimacy deficits of two potentially conflicting legal systems, namely Public and Islamic international law. It discusses the challenges that Public international law is being presented within the context of its relationship with Islamic international law. It explores how best to overcome these challenges through a comparative examination of state practices on the use of force. It highlights the legal-political legacies that evolved surrounding the claims of the legitimacy of use of force by armed non-state actors, states, and regional organizations. This book offers a critical analysis of these legacies in line with the Islamic Shari‘a law, United Nations Charter, state practices, and customs. It concludes that the legitimacy question has reached a vantage point where it cannot be answered either by Islamic or Public international law as a mutually exclusive legal system. Instead, Public international law must take a coherent approach within the existing legal framework.