The Many Paths of Change in International Law
How does international law change? How does it adapt to meet global challenges in an accelerated social and political context? The question is crucial for any account of international law, but it is not very well understood. This interdisciplinary volume traces drivers, conditions, and consequences of change across the different fields of international law and paints a complex and varied picture very much in contrast with the relatively static and uniform imagery in most existing accounts. It highlights the social dynamics through which different areas and institutional contexts have generated their own pathways, with different constellations of actors and authorities that condition how smoothly and speedily change proceeds. The volume presents a theoretical framework for understanding this dynamism, and its chapters explore the strategies, forms, and forces behind the many paths of change they encounter. We take into view the politics of precedent and legal restatements, we look at populist and authoritarian challenges and their effects, and we trace change in response to contestation and non-compliance. We also highlight how states are at times marginalized in change processes—and how change may take other forms when international law itself proves too inflexible. Overall, the volume offers a fascinating account of an international legal order in flux—with a degree of dynamism not captured through traditional doctrinal lenses—and helps situate change processes and their varied implications in international law and politics.
It is open access, and you can read/download the book using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/yc3845us
Endorsements
“Nico Krisch and Ezgi Yildiz have produced the rare volume that both opens new space for analytic inquiry and offers sharp insights for navigating it. The volume should-and, I think, will-have a lasting impact on how many international legal and policy experts approach the field.” – Monica Hakimi, Columbia Law School.
“How international law changes is now a question routinely asked. It is however rarely answered with the empirical breadth, conceptual creativity, and interdisciplinary rigor displayed in this volume. Krisch and Yildiz have gathered an impressive range of established scholars and rising stars, making The
Many Paths of Change in International Law path-breaking indeed.” – Giovanni Mantilla, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge
“An eye-opening book on the vibrancy of contemporary international law. Nico Krisch and Ezgi Yildiz have wisely chosen to shed light on an insufficiently investigated topic, that of informal change occurring through a vast web of actors, processes, and strategies.” – Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva
“Mapping the paths of change in international law requires both the
boldness of an explorer and the precision of a surveyor. It requires both a readiness to push past well-rehearsed doctrines and a rigorous eye for detail and nuance. It might seem an impossible task. And yet, this book somehow exhibits both qualities. Stitching together the accounts of its insightful editors and authors, it is one of the best guides we have to the many and varied practices that we call international law.” – Harlan G. Cohen, University of Georgia School of Law