International Law In A Divided World

A general introduction to international law in its political and historical context, this work identifies the ideological motivations behind legal rules and institutions. Covering several issues seldom explored by other commentators, such as the historical evolution of the international community and the fundamental principles governing international law of economic interaction, the book provides an excellent introduction to the complexities of this topic.

Globalization has immersed all of humanity in a single germ pool. There are no health sanctuaries in a globalizing world. In Global Health Governance, Obijiofor Aginam explores the relevance of international law in contemporary public health diplomacy. He focuses on the concept of mutual vulnerability to explore the globalization of disease, in what is paradoxically a global village and a divided world. Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, Global Health Governance offers a holistic approach to global health governance involving a multiplicity of actors: nation-states, international organizations, civil society organizations, and private actors. Aginam articulates modest proposals under the rubric of communitarian globalism, a paradigm that strives to meet the ideals of 'law of humanity.' These proposals project a humane global health order where all of humanity is inexorably tied into a global compact and where the health of one nation-state rises and falls with the health of others. International law—with its bold claims to universal protection of human rights and human dignity—is an indispensable governance tool for the reconstruction of damaged public health trust in the relations of nations and peoples.

The Politics of International Law offers an introduction to the role of law in contemporary international affairs. Through a case study-driven analysis of topics such as human rights, the use of force, international environmental law, international trade law, international criminal justice and the right to self-determination, the book explains the interaction between law and politics in the world today, demonstrating that one cannot be understood withoutthe other.The book is divided into two parts. Part I introduces contemporary international law with a focus on constitutive legal principles such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and the legal equality of states. Through these introductory chapters, students are encouraged to take a holistic view of the processes and actors that drive international affairs, and explore the fascinating paradox that while international law is largely created through political processes, it also constitutes theenvironment in which international politics is practiced.Part II builds on the foundations laid in Part I to analyze contemporary controversies in international law and politics. Chapters focus on a number of substantive issue areas, including international environmental law, international economic law, human rights law, self-determination and secession, the law governing the use of force, and international criminal justice.This book is written to impart on readers a deepened understanding of both the possibilities and limits of international law as a tool for structuring relations in the world.Digital Formats and ResourcesAlso available as an e-book with functionality, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support

A global history of human rights in a world of nations that grant rights to some while denying them to others Once dominated by vast empires, the world is now divided into some 200 independent countries that proclaim human rights—a transformation that suggests that nations and human rights inevitably develop together. But the reality is far more problematic, as Eric Weitz shows in this compelling global history of the fate of human rights in a world of nation-states. Through vivid histories from virtually every continent, A World Divided describes how, since the eighteenth century, nationalists have established states that grant human rights to some people while excluding others, setting the stage for many of today’s problems, from the refugee crisis to right-wing nationalism. Only the advance of international human rights will move us beyond a world divided between those who have rights and those who don't.

United Nations Politics takes a unique approach that focuses on the politics that is, the persistent and mostly singular emphasis that all member states place on the pursuit of national political, economic, cultural and ideological interests of UN affairs. The project began as an effort to research and write a ten-year-later sequel to The Challenge of Relevance written by Puchala and Coate in 1989. This earlier volume was an assessment of the United Nations and its operations in the late eighties. United Nations Politics builds from a series of some 200 interviews conducted at the UN and in various member-state missions between 2000 and 2005. Among other things , these interviews revealed that the existing English-language literature on the UN fails to take into appropriate account the dynamics and the impacts of the internal and external political contexts within which the UN operates. This book directly addresses this shortcoming in the academic literature.

A landmark publication in the teaching of international law from one of the world's leading international lawyers. This refreshingly clear, concise textbook conveys the dynamics of international law through four questions: Where does it come from? To whom does it apply? How does it resolve conflict? What does it say?