Public International Law

Conventions, Cases and Commentary

John M. B. Balouziyeh 

Around the world, on any given day, international legal disputes, transnational conflicts, tensions at sea, trade negotiations and boundary disputes pose a range of questions under international law. In the current global economy, international law can no longer be the exclusive domain of lawyers. Corporate directors, international civil servants, foreign investment specialists, human rights advocates—even soldiers and military contractors—all demand some knowledge of international law. This is especially true for the hot-button topics of international law that impact not only states but also multinational corporations, international organizations, NGOs and individuals. These topics include the laws of war, corporate accountability for international crimes, trade and investment, environmental law, human rights, climate change, refugee and asylum issues and arms control. 

Given the ever-increasing likelihood that legal practitioners will encounter an actual or potential application of international law, a thorough guide to international law such as this volume is an essential component of every lawyer’s library. This exhaustive and meticulously researched book addresses the very foundations of the law and the role public international law institutions may play in resolving many of the world’s disputes, conflicts and crises. 

In a clear and systematic manner, this timely volume lays out the basic rights and responsibilities of states, corporate actors and individuals within the international arena. Descriptions and analyses of public international law topics, including the following, are presented: 

•         state sovereignty and the legality of the use of force;

  
  



•         international environmental law;

  
  



•         nuclear non-proliferation;

  
  



•         sanctions and international trade law;

  
  



•         maritime disputes and the law of the sea;

  
  



•          international humanitarian law;

  
  



•         arms control and trade in armaments;

  
  



•         the law applicable in occupied and disputed territories;

  
  



•         status of refugees and asylum seekers; and

  
  



•         state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts. 

  
  

While this book will most naturally be of interest to international lawyers, its clear, comprehensive and easily accessible contents will also be useful to a wide range of other audiences, including diplomats and policymakers whose activities depend on an understanding of public international law and its associated institutions. 

“This solidly researched and clearly written exposition of international law is one that I commend to lawyers, diplomats, investors, international arbitrators and any other person who seeks to understand interstate relations through the lens of international law.”

– Diego García-Sayán, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Minister of Foreign Affairs (ret.), Peru  

“John Balouziyeh’s immersion in and exposure to legal systems in multiple areas of the world have given him a truly international vision of the importance of international law. The years-long development of this book is a testament to his genuine dedication to the rules-based system of international law and his desire for it to be understood and respected.”

– Charles Buderi, Chair, Public International Law, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP