Fundamentals Of Public International Law

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.

Fundamentals of Public International Law, by Giovanni Distefano, provides an overview of public international law’s main principles and fundamental institutions.

The sixth edition of Ian Brownlie's comprehensive and authoritative textbook has been thoroughly revised and updated to take into account all changes in the field of public international law since 1998. A new chapter on the Use of Force has been added and further discussion of the Environment.Its clarity, excellent structure, detailed referencing and depth and maturity of analysis make it the ideal text for students, scholars and practitioners.

Essay from the year 2000 in the subject Law - European and International Law, Intellectual Properties, grade: 2 (B), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Law School), course: Foundations of Public International Law, language: English, abstract: “The orthodox positivist doctrine has been explicit in the affirmation that only States are subjects of international law.”1 However, since international law is primarily concealed with the rights and duties of states, it is necessary to have a clear idea of what a state is. Problems of definition of statehood and of its application thus occupy an important place in the structure of international law. The disputes on this topic tend to be focused on factual issues rather than on the relevant legal criteria. The question of the criteria is a mixed fact and law question though. To create a state entities must fulfil certain criteria of statehood. There are different opinions on the essential criteria, which will be examined critically hereafter. 1 Lauterpacht, International Law, p. 489.

This work is primarily aimed at the law student, although it may also be of relevance to those studying international relations. It covers the main topics of public international law and is designed to serve both as a textbook and as a case and materials book.

'Gideon Boas's experience as an international litigator and his renown as an academic practitioner means he was well-placed to write a book on international law that both covers this growing field and enters it at key moments to illustrate important themes. This book accomplishes the difficult task of offering a wide-ranging perspective on the whole field, as well as conveying the ferment that surrounds it. Students of international law will derive great benefit from it.' – Gerry Simpson, University of Melbourne, Australia Public International Law offers a comprehensive understanding of international law as well as a fresh and highly accessible approach. While explaining the theory and development of international law, this work also examines how it functions in practice. Case studies and recent examples are infused in the discussion on each topic, and critical perspectives on the principles are given prominence, building an understanding of how and why the international legal system operates in the way it does and where it is heading. For each principle, the book starts by explaining the theoretical foundations in detail before illustrating how these principles function in practice. Features include: • a focus on fundamental principles of international law rather than specialist sub-topics; • integrated and contextual explanation of political and extra-legal dimension of international legal system; • principles of international law placed within a contemporary real-life context; • traditional and contemporary case studies explained in the context of legal principles; and • uniform structure to facilitate understanding. With insight founded on the author's many years of experience as a practitioner and academic in the field of international law, this work will offer legal practitioners, policy makers and students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, an invaluable insight into the field of international law.

This book addresses fundamental aspects of the concept of public international law in both theory and practice. The argument developed by the author is that, underlying the traditional, horizontal, structure of public international law, a vertical structure of the concept of law may be discerned. This vertical structure is seen unfolding into two, mutually exclusive, frameworks: a framework of obligation, accounting for obligations, and a framework of authorization, accounting for rights. The problem then arising is that a concept of public international law which only admits either rights or obligations cannot be regarded as coherent. The author, however, takes and substantiates the position that coherence can be achieved by suppressing the mutual exclusivity of both frameworks. This move paves the way to formulating the function of public international law in terms of the constituting of international society. Since in public international law the theoretical aspects profoundly affect practice, this book is not only of interest to academics, but also for practitioners, such as officials of foreign offices and international institutions.