EBOOK Limits of International Law

The Limits of International Law argues that international law matters but that its        scope and significance is far less than assumed by academics, the media, and many        public officials. Adopting a rational choice framework, the authors show that        international law is a term that we use to refer to variously circumscribed cases of        international cooperation. States are able to cooperate through international law        but only under narrow conditions; much of international law merely ratifies existing        relationships, and has no independent normative force. Indeed, recent efforts to        replace international politics with law and judicial process rests on a        misunderstanding of the past accomplishments of international law. The Limits of        International Law will have important implications for debates about the role of        international law in the foreign policy of the United States and other        nations.