Ethnic, nationalist, and religious conflicts and debates about international intervention have been central global preoccupations of the past hundred years. Such debates, this volume argues, were first framed in their modern form during the interwar period, when a "Modernist break" (akin to that in literature, philosophy, and the arts) transformed the way such conflicts were viewed. Internationalists began to cast identity-based claims -- whether those of anti-colonialists or European separatists -- not only as mortal dangers to international order but as indispensable to its revitalization....

This book offers a unique survey of legal practices and ideas relating to international relations in the Ancient Near East between 2500 and 330 BCE. Rather than entering into the debate on the continuous development of international law in Antiquity, the book discloses a vast amount of textual material from the Ancient Near East which sheds light on the legal regulation and organization of international relations in different epochs of pre-classical Antiquity. The book is a treasure trove of information for the historian of international law who wants to acquaint himself with the remotest...

This collection of essays gathers contributions from leading international lawyers from different countries, generations and angles with the aim of highlighting the multifaceted history of international law. This volume questions and analyses the origins and foundations of the international legal system. A particular attention is devoted to Hugo Grotius as one of the founding fathers of the law of nations. Several contributions further question the positivist tradition initiated by Vattel and endorsed by scholars of the 19th Century. This immersion in the intellectual origins of international...

The Twelve Years Truce of 9 April 1609 made a temporary end to the hostilities between Spain and the Northern Netherlands that had lasted for over four decades. The Truce signified a crucial step in the recognition of the Republic of the Northern Netherlands as a sovereign power. As the direct source of inspiration for the 1648 Peace of Munster the Truce is a crucial text in the formation of the early modern law of nations. As few other texts, it reflects the radical changes to the laws of war and peace from around 1600. The Twelve Years Truce offers a collection of essays by leading...

Balance of Power and Norm Hierarchy: Franco-British Diplomacy after the Peace of Utrecht offers a detailed study of French and British diplomacy in the age of 'Walpole and Fleury'. After Louis XIV's decease, European international relations were dominated by the collaboration between James Stanhope and Guillaume Dubois. Their alliance focused on the amendment and enlargement of the peace treaties of Utrecht, Rastatt and Baden. In-depth analysis of vast archival material uncovers the practical legal arguments used between Hampton Court and Versailles. 'Balance of Power' or 'Tranquillity...