Influential writers on international law and international relations explore the making, interpretation and enforcement of international law.

Built on the theme “history, culture and international law”, this special course gives a comprehensive review of China’s contemporary perspective and practice of international law in the past 60 years, with its focus on the recent 30 years when China is gradually integrated into international legal system through its opening up and economic reform process.

The proposed volume consists of an edited collection within the new Melland Schill Guidebooks on International Law (MSGIL) series. In line with the MSGIL objective of inclusiveness, originality, perspectivism and critical thought, the book is the first of an intended series pertaining to perspectives related to the ways in which the arts influence the perception and attitude of the public towards international law, and the manner this affects the discipline, both in terms of its own development and in terms of its social legitimacy. The book contrasts the narratives of international law depicted in cinema and TV productions with the corresponding narratives advanced by legal scholars. It identifies a cognitive dissonance between them and ascertains its implications on general perceptions of international law.

The international legal system has weathered sweeping changes over the last decade as new participants have emerged. International law-making and law-enforcement processes have become increasingly multi-layered with unprecedented numbers of non-State actors, including individuals, insurgents, multinational corporations and even terrorist groups, being involved. This growth in the importance of non-State actors at the law-making and law-enforcement levels has generated a lot of new scholarly studies on the topic. However, while it remains uncontested that non-State actors are now playing an important role on the international plane, albeit in very different ways, international legal scholarship has remained riddled by controversy regarding the status of these new actors in international law. This collection features contributions by renowned scholars, each of whom focuses on a particular theory or tradition of international law, a region, an institutional regime or a particular subject-matter, and considers how that perspective impacts on our understanding of the role and status of non-State actors. The book takes a critical approach as it seeks to gauge the extent to which each conception and understanding of international law is instrumental in the perception of non-State actors. In doing so the volume provides a wide panorama of all the contemporary legal issues arising in connection with the growing role of non-state actors in international-law making and international law-enforcement processes.

The second edition of this concise and well-loved textbook has been enhanced and developed while continuing to offer a fresh and accessible approach to international law, providing students with a uniquely holistic understanding of the field. Starting with the legal principles that underpin each strand of international law, and putting this into a real-life context, this textbook builds an understanding of how the international legal system operates and where it is heading. It guides readers through the theoretical foundations and development of international law norms, while also explaining clearly how the law works in practice.

Designed for an undergraduate course in international law, the text may also supplement International Relations, Foreign Policy, International Affairs, World Politics, and Comparative Law courses. A mix of commentary, edited cases, and problems are included. Revisions include three new chapters: International Organizations (Ch. 3), Individuals and Corporations (Ch. 4), and International Environment (Ch. 12). Career Opportunities in International Law is the new Appendix 3. Exhibits graphically illustrating chapter concepts have been added as well as expanded coverage of Sources (Ch. 1), Dispute Resolutions (Ch. 9), and International Business (Ch. 3).

In the spirit of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations and the United Nations Decade of International Law, the contributors to "Perspectives on International Law" honour with this legal treatise a devoted friend of the United Nations and international law, Judge Manfred Lachs - a noted judge, diplomat, humanist and, above all, teacher. The work includes a variety of perspectives on international law relating to what were Judge Lachs' four main areas of interest: the theory and practice of international law, the United Nations, the World Court, and space law. The book meets the need for a reference work covering selected subject areas and providing different perspectives on some of the key issues of current concern. Many eminent experts in various fields related to international law, including Judges of the International Court of Justice, diplomats, and professors of law - most of whom knew Judge Lachs personally - have contributed. Each chapter has been prepared specifically for the book. The contributors represent all political, legal and cultural regions of the world and provide a range of backgrounds and viewpoints, offering a variety of new ideas for strengthening international law, based on their assessment of the lessons of the past.