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Between Peril and Promise
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Between Peril and Promise
The Politics of International Law

Second Edition


November 2011 | 384 pages | CQ Press

In this concise introduction to international law, students gain a clear appreciation for how politics shapes the development of international law, and how international law shapes political relations between states. Throughout the book, Rochester takes this complex subject and makes it accessible with his vibrant, easy-to-read prose.

After exploring the parameters of international law—its intrinsic challenges and the various approaches to it—Rochester then examines its five major sectors— the law of the sea, airspace, and outer space; human rights; war and peace; states and markets; and the environment—all through the lens of international relations theory. Students will appreciate numerous pedagogical features, such as instructive case studies, photos and cartoons, discussion questions, and—new to this edition—an "International Law in Action" box, which uses real-world cases to flesh out the inner workings of international law. Based on reviewer feedback, the author reorganized several chapters, bringing coverage of jurisdiction to the forefront in order to better set the stage for subsequent chapters. With updates to all of the book's data, factual information, and hundreds of endnotes, Rochester presents the latest IL scholarship in a clear and straightforward manner.


 
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION: PUTTING INTERNATIONAL LAW IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE, OR PUTTING YOUR LEGAL PROTOTYPES ASIDE
 
International Law and International Politics
 
The Great Paradigm Debate: Realism, Idealism, and Other Schools
 
Is International Law Really Law, Or a Charade?
 
PART TWO: INTERNATIONAL LAW AT WORK: SHOOTING POOL AND POOLING SOVEREIGNTY
 
Jurisdiction: The Allocation of Legal Competences Over Places and Persons on Land, at Sea, in the Air and Outer Space
 
Human Rights: What Happened to Sovereignty?
 
War and Peace: Do We Need New Rules for an Old Problem?
 
International Economic Relations and International Law: Regulating States and Markets
 
International Environmental Law: Protecting the Biosphere
 
PART THREE: CONCLUSION: A SUMMATION OF THE ARGUMENT
 
The Future of International Politics, International Law, and Global Governance

Rochester succeeds in his attempt to address salient issues of the international legal framework in a less formal and at times provocative fashion. Students will gain a fresh look at the growing edifice of international law.

Dr Guenther Auth
Geschwister-Scholl Institute, Ludwig-Maximilians University
October 9, 2012
Key features
New to this Edition
  • coverage of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars;
  • the military intervention in Libya;
  • the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico;
  • and global economic recession.

For instructors

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