The Continent of International Law

'International lawyers (and students of international governance) take note: this book is one of the most significant contributions yet from the growing interaction of international relations and international law. Barbara Koremenos shows how states carefully design and apply the technical provisions of treaties - from duration to monitoring to precision - to address incentives, constraints and actor characteristics. An analytical tour de force, the book sheds new light on legalized cooperation.' Kenneth W. Abbott, Jack E. Brown Professor of Law, Arizona State University
'The Continent of International Law is an insightful and thought-provoking analysis of treaty design. Koremenos illuminates the rich diversity of international agreements, shining light on procedural clauses often buried in the back of treaties that many scholars, government officials and lawyers overlook. The book's theoretical contributions are as important as the extensive empirical data it presents. A tour de force of rational design scholarship.' Laurence R. Helfer, Harry R. Chadwick, Sr, Professor of Law, Duke University, North Carolina
'The Continent of International Law brilliantly generates empirical generalizations about the design of international agreements, demonstrating that a functional, or rational design, theory explains institutional design remarkably well.' Robert O. Keohane, Princeton University, New Jersey
'Barbara Koremenos demonstrates the surprising reach and variation of international law and shows the extent to which the provisions of agreements reflect rational institutional design. International law is indeed a continent that we can clearly map using the tools of modern social science.' Stephen D. Krasner, Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations, Stanford University, California
'This is one of the most systematic rationalist accounts ever of the cooperative dilemmas states face and the legal structures they create to resolve them. Koremenos's book is a triumph of argumentation and evidence that will spark debate across the disciplines of international law and international relations. Brava, Barbara!' Beth Simmons, Harvard University, Massachusetts
'Koremenos … offers an important addition to the literature. The core of the text draws on a unique new data set (COIL) derived from a random sample of all international agreements submitted to the UN. This data allows Koremenos to test a series of hypotheses connected to the rational design of institutions by states … The text is one of the first to move beyond case studies in examining international agreements and organizations. In doing so, it is one of the first to allow making broad generalizations across all organizations and agreements … Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.' K. Buterbaugh, Choice
'The book contains many elements which in one way or the other can be used for the analysis of international law pertaining to both polar regions. … The Continent of International Law should indeed be an inherent part of the analysis of polar legal design, contributing to the understanding of polar legal dynamics and actor behavior.' Nikolas Sellheim, Polar Record
'Koremenos' book does a great job in bringing a sense of purpose back into public international law and balancing some of the premises pertaining to anarchy and state-centredness - present in disciplines such as international relations - and the fact that treaties do matter and are drafted with the intention of being functional. Also, providing a detailed empirically grounded explanation of various treaty strategies and provisions, this book can easily serve as a manual for diplomats actually involved in the drafting process. As a result, the book has a very broad appeal, since it is likely to offer valuable insights for students of public international law, researchers and practitioners alike. Koremenos' clear and accessible writing style clearly does the topic justice for that broad audience while simultaneously reinforcing her commitment to break the previously hermetic mould of the discipline.' Ignas Kalpokas, LCC International University, Lithuania and Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania