Great Powers and Outlaw States
Unequal Sovereigns in the International Legal Order
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:22nd Apr '04
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- Paperback£36.99(9780521534901)
Historical and legal analysis of Kosovo and Afghanistan wars and impact on global political order.
This book examines how unequal sovereigns have had a major impact on the way international relations are conducted. The author offers a way of understanding recent transformations in the global political order by recalling the lessons of the past, in particular the recent conflicts in Kosovo and Afghanistan.The presence of Great Powers and outlaw states is a central but under-explored feature of international society. In this book, Gerry Simpson describes the ways in which an international legal order based on 'sovereign equality' has accommodated the Great Powers and regulated outlaw states since the beginning of the nineteenth-century. In doing so, the author offers a fresh understanding of sovereignty which he terms juridical sovereignty to show how international law has managed the interplay of three languages: the languages of Great Power prerogative, the language of outlawry (or anti-pluralism) and the language of sovereign equality. The co-existence and interaction of these three languages is traced through a number of moments of institutional transformation in the global order from the Congress of Vienna to the 'war on terrorism'.
'In this important new volume, Gerry Simpson elegantly demonstrates the relationship between law and politics … Simpson makes an important contribution to both fields … this is an important work that takes our understanding of the politics and law of sovereignty to a new level. It neatly combines theoretical and historical analysis and provides a new set of concepts that are sure to become a key part of the lexicon of sovereignty in both international relations and international law.' Alex J. Bellamy, International Affairs
'Simpson develops a credible and subtle explanation of the severe difficulties inherent in sovereign equality …' Political Science Quarterly
'Simpson's aim, to reclaim for legal discussion subjects often appropriated by the political sciences, is an important one. He presents his case with wit and flair, and much of the historical analysis would be of interest to the general reader as well as to international lawyers.' The Cambridge Law Journal
'Simpsons book challenges some of our most basic notions about international law in the past and present. The concepts of legalised hegemony and anti-pluralism, as well as Simpson's threefold understanding of sovereign equality are the prime tools for any historical study on the international legal order in the past three to four centuries. By focusing on the elements of hierarchy and exclusiveness within the international order, Simpson fills the blank spot on the map of international law and its history. This book can be recommended to all scholars with an interest in the history of international modern law.' Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law
'It is a brilliant work of theory of international law … Simpson's book is an important one. It challenges some of our most basic notions about international law in the past and the present. The concepts of legalised hegemony and anti-pluralism, as well as Simpson's threefold understanding of sovereign equality are prime tools for any historical study on the international legal order in the past three to four centuries. By focusing on the elements of hierarchy and exclusiveness within the international order, Simpson fills in a blank spot on the map of international law and its history. … can be recommended to all scholars with an interest in the history of modern international law.' Journal of the History of International Law
'The book contains refreshing and sometimes provoking thoughts and it is of interest for students and scholars well beyond the circle of international law.' Journal of Peace Research
- Winner of American Society of International Law Certificate of Merit for a Preeminent Contribution to Creative Scholarship 2005
ISBN: 9780521827614
Dimensions: 236mm x 161mm x 30mm
Weight: 802g
416 pages