What are and to what avail do we study European International Law Traditions? by Peter Hilpold.- The Concept of International Law – The German Perspective by Christian Tomuschat.- The 'Austrian School of International Law' – The influence of Austrian international lawyers on the formation of the present international legal order by Heribert Franz Köck.- The Concept of International Law: The Italian Perspective by Carlo Focarelli.- The French Tradition of International Law by Andrea Hamann.- British Contributions to Public International Law by Michael Wood.- Exploring Belgian and Dutch “Traditions” in International Law by Jan Wouters and Nina Pineau.- International Law from a Nordic Perspective by Astrid Kjeldgaard-Pedersen and Jakob v.H. Holtermann.- The Russian Concept of International Law as Imperial Legacy by Lauri Mälksoo.- International Adjudication under Particular Consideration of International Criminal Justice: The German Contribution by Stefanie Bock.- The development of International Economic Law - Contributions of German-Speaking Countries by Ernst-Ulrich Petersmann.
Dr. Peter Hilpold is Professor of International Law, EU Law and Public Comparative Law at the University of Innsbruck. He holds several University degrees (law, economics, industrial management, languages) and has been granted a series of academic awards. He is a co-editor of the journal “Europa Ethnica” and a member of the Editorial Board of the “Austrian Review of International and European Law”. Futhermore, he is a member of the Advisory Board of the “Hague Yearbook of International Law” as well as of the journal “Diritti Umani e Diritto Internazionale”. He is also a permanent collaborator of the journal “Archiv des Völkerrecht” and the author of over 250 publications.
International Law is usually considered, at least initially, to be a unitary legal order that is not subject to different national approaches. Ex definition it should be an order that transcends the national, and one that merges national perspectives into a higher understanding of law. It gains broad recognition precisely because it gives expression to a common consensus transcending national positions.
The reality, however, is quite different. Individual countries’ approaches to International Law, and the meanings attached to different concepts, often diverge considerably. The result is a lack of comprehension that can ultimately lead to outright conflicts.
In this book, several renowned international lawyers engage in an enquiry directed at sorting out how different European nations have contributed to the development of International Law, and how various national approaches to International Law differ. In doing so, their goal is to promote a better understanding of theory and practice in International Law.
Chapter “What Are and to What Avail Do We Study European International Law Traditions?” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.