Law and Moral Action in World Politics

1999
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Cecelia Lynch and Michael Loriaux, editors

Examines the intersections of world politics, international law, and ethics.

Defined by custom and treaty, and now increasingly embodied in charters, regulations, and resolutions of international organizations, does the existence of international law point to progress in humankind’s capacity for moral conduct? Or does the lack of a discernible ethical foundation in either law or political action make progress impossible to define?
In Law & Moral Action in World Politics, the authors-activists and scholars of international law and international relations-pose these questions in new ways.

Contributors: Nathaniel Berman, Gregory Fox, Siba N’Zatioula Grovogui, David Kennedy, Friedrich Kratochwil, Maivan Clech Lam, Terry Nardin, Martin Palous, and Olivier Russbach.

This is the book I have been waiting for. There is no other volume that addresses with such sophistication and depth the complex, controversial, and variegated interplay of international law and international relations.

—

Richard Falk, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

Defined by custom and treaty, and now increasingly embodied in charters, regulations, and resolutions of international organizations, does the existence of international law point to progress in humankind’s capacity for moral conduct? Or does the lack of a discernible ethical foundation in either law or political action make progress impossible to define?

In Law and Moral Action in World Politics, the authors—activists and scholars of international law and international relations—pose these questions in new ways. Some adhere to a progressive reading of the law; others adopt a critical stance. Topics include the function and historical evolution of the law; the cultural and intellectual assumptions of influential legal texts; and the experiences of legal activists in using law to pursue moral ends, including the rights of indigenous people and the protection of international law itself.

Contributors: Nathaniel Berman, Northeastern U; Gregory Fox, Yale U; Siba N’Zatioula Grovogui, Johns Hopkins U; David Kennedy, Harvard U; Friedrich Kratochwil, U of Munich; Maivan Clech Lam, CUNY; Terry Nardin, U of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Martin Palous, Charles U, Prague; Olivier Russbach, Droit International 90, Paris and Geneva.

Cecelia Lynch is assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine. Michael Loriaux is associate professor of political science at Northwestern University.

This is the book I have been waiting for. There is no other volume that addresses with such sophistication and depth the complex, controversial, and variegated interplay of international law and international relations.

—

Richard Falk, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

There are too few good books that look at the intersection of law, ethics, and world politics. Law and Moral Action in World Politics is not just good, it is first rate.

—

Nicholas Rengger, University of St. Andrews, Scotland