This volume is a collection of essays dealing primarily with supervision by international organizations of, on the one hand, state behaviour and, on the other, the conduct of the organizations themselves. The first is termed external supervision, the second internal supervision. An extensive range of international organizations is covered, among them the ILO, the IMF, GATT and the United Nations.

Kosovo.

Since 1945 there has been a tremendous growth in the number of international organizations, leading to the development of a body of law regulating the relationship between the organizations and their host states. International Organizations and their Host States examines the relationship from a practical perspective. Before examining the legal status, privileges and immunities that have commonly been granted to international organizations, the diverse sources where the law can be found are brought together in a new concept: the host arrangement. This concept forms an anchor for the examination of the following aspects of the legal relationship: the legal personality of the organization, the status of its seat, the inviolability of its premises, assets and archives, its jurisdictional immunity, its communications privileges, and its fiscal, customs and financial privileges. In conclusion, the legal concepts underlying the relationship between international organizations and their host states are analyzed and suggestions are made on improving the coherency of the law.

This book offers a comparative analysis of the institutional law of public international organizations, covering issues such as membership, institutional structure, decisions and decision-making, legal status, privileges and immunities. It has been designed to appeal to both academics and practitioners.

The proliferation of international organizations is presently a hot issue. New international organizations have been created over the last few years, such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the World Trade Organization. At the same time a certain reluctance may be observed to create new organizations. Overlapping activities and conflicting competences occur frequently and the need for coordination is evident. The events in former Yugoslavia are an example. Both during the armed conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo and afterwards in the era of reconstruction, the need to coordinate the work of organizations such as the UN, NATO, the EU, the World Bank, OSCE, and the Council of Europe was vital. Against this background a number of legal issues have become more important that have not yet been researched extensively, perhaps the only exception being the proliferation of international tribunals. Questions include the following: Why were new organizations created while others already existed in the same or a related field? What specific legal problems have arisen that are related to the coexistence of different organizations working (partly) in the same area? What mechanisms or instruments have been developed to coordinate the activities and to solve legal problems? These and other questions were discussed during a conference that took place from 18 to 20 November, 1999, in the Academy Building of Leiden University, The Netherlands. A large number of experts, both academics and practitioners, participated. The purpose of this book is to present the issues discussed during the Leiden conference to a larger audience. This book contains the adapted papers for the conference and several other contributions.

The world is poised for another important transition. The United States is dealing with the impact of the Afghan and Iraq wars, the use of torture and secret detention, Guantanamo, climate change, nuclear proliferation, weakened international institutions, and other issues related directly or indirectly to international law. The world needs an accurate account of the important role of international law and The Power and Purpose of International Law seeks to provide it. Mary Ellen O'Connell explains the purpose of international law and the power it has to achieve that purpose. International law supports order in the world and the attainment of humanity's fundamental goals of peace, prosperity, respect for human rights, and protection of the natural environment. These goals can best be realized through international law, which uniquely has the capacity to bind even a superpower of the world. By exploring the roots and history of international law, and by looking at specific events in the history of international law, this book demonstrates the why and the how of international law and its enforcement. It directly confronts the notion that international law is "powerless" and that working within the framework of international law is useless or counter-productive. As the world moves forward, it is critical that both leaders and their citizens understand the true power and purpose of international law and this book creates a valuable resource for them to aid their understanding. It uses a clear, compelling style to convey topical, informative and cutting-edge information to the reader.

This Liber Amicorum is dedicated to one of the most outstanding international lawyers, Professor Seidl-Hohenveldern, in celebration of his eightieth birthday. Professor Seidl-Hohenveldern is known throughout the academic world for his profound contributions to the theory and practice of international law. He has also acted as arbitrator in a number of international cases and was President of the UN Conference on State Succession in respect of State Property, Archives and Debts. The contents of this Liber Amicorum reflect the broad activities of Professor Seidl-Hohenveldern, both in his academic and practical work. The fields covered include: - international public law; - international private law; - international economic law; - international human rights law; - international environmental law; and - European law. The contributions, from well-known authors worldwide, display an interesting and valuable spectrum of the current state of the law. Thus, the work covers a wide range of different topics of international law and different positions on developments in recent years.