Time, History and International Law (Developments in International Law)

Description

This book gives an insight into the frequently asked question on the relationship between international law, time and history, approaching the issue from a legal and philosophical point of view. Broadly speaking, it is possible to identify at least three different ways in which the above relationship may be conceived. The first is that of a history of international law, mapped out in terms of its trajectory, written in narrative form that provides a story about its origins, development, progress or renewal; the second is that of history in international law and of the role history plays in arguments about law itself; the third way in which that relationship may be understood is in terms of international law in history, of understanding how international law has been engaged in the creation of a history that in some senses stands outside the history of international law itself. Each type of engagement with history and international law will interweave various different types of historical narrative, pointing to the typically multi-layered nature of international lawyers' engagement with the past and its importance in shaping the present and future of international law.