International law has recently emerged as the subject-matter of an exciting new field of philosophical investigation. The Philosophy of International Law contains 29 cutting-edge essays by leading philosophers and international lawyers, all published here in English for the first time, that address the central philosophical questions about international law. The volume's overarching theme is the moral and political values that should guide the assessment and development of international law and institutions. Some of the essays tackle general topics such as the sources and legitimacy of international law, the nature of international legal adjudication, whether international law can or should aspire to be 'democratic', and the significance of state sovereignty. The other contributions address philosophical problems arising in specific domains of international law, such as human rights law, international economic law, international criminal law, international environmental law, and the laws of war. This volume is the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of the philosophy of international law in existence. It is also distinguished by its 'dialogical' methodology: there are two essays on each topic, with the second author engaging with the arguments of the first. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the nature and value of international law.

About the Author
Samantha Besson is Professor of Public International Law and European Law at the University of Fribourg. Her publications and research interests lie in legal philosophy and democratic theory, in particular as applied to international and European law-making. Besides numerous publications in French, she is the author of the monograph The Morality of Conflict (Hart Publishing: Oxford, 2005) and the co-editor of the forthcoming collection of essays Legal Republicanism: National and International (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009). John Tasioulas is a Reader in Moral and Legal Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He is also a Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University. He has published on various topics in moral, legal and political philosophy. He is currently working on a monograph on the philosophy of human rights with the support of a British Academy Research Development Award.

Reviews
This book is a comprehensive treatment of various topics in international law from several academics and authoritative sources * Alicia Elias-Roberts, The University of the West Indies *
heartily recommended ... demonstrates the best sort of international collaborative cosmopolitanism ... it will be a source of challenging ideas and the subject of useful engagement as students develop their own perspective on the global possibilites for the rule of law. * Political Studies Review *
Samantha Besson and John Tasioulas have done lawyers, scholars and the public an enormous service in their volume The Philosophy of International Law by raising the level of debate about the moral and political standards that should govern the assessment (and development) of international institutions... Besson and Tasioulas, the guiding lights behind this project, represent a brilliant new generation of philosophers speaking directly to a new generation of lawyers about international law - and they have manafed to gather many of the most perceptive and serious scholars on the subject together in one volume... This is an exciting and very important volume. * Mortimer Sellers, Director of the Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Maryland *
The Philosophy of International Law can be heartily recommended ... a source of challenging ideas * Christopher May, International Relations *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199208579
Author Samantha Besson
Format Paperback
Page Count 632
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 170mm * 34mm