Theory of international law

511 Pages·2016·3.364 MB·English

by  Kolb, Robert

THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
This book seeks to analyse various aspects of international law, the link being how
they structure and marshal the different forces in the international legal order. It
takes the following approaches to the matter. First, an attempt is made to deter-
mine the fundamental characteristics of international law, the forces that delineate
and permeate its applications. Secondly, the multiple relations between law and
politics are analysed. Politics are a highly relevant factor in the implementation of
every legal order (and also a threat to it); this is all the more true in international
law, where the two forces, law and politics, have significant links. Thirdly, the dis-
cussion focuses on a series of fundamental legal-political notions: the common
good, justice, legal security, reciprocity (plus equality and proportionality), liberty,
ethics and social morality, and reason.
ii
Theory of International Law
Robert Kolb
OXFORD AND PORTLAND, OREGON
2016
Hart Publishing
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First published 2016
© Robert Kolb
Robert Kolb has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
to be identified as Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this work, no responsibility for
loss or damage occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result
of any statement in it can be accepted by the authors, editors or publishers.
All UK Government legislation and other public sector information used in the work is Crown Copyright ©.
All House of Lords and House of Commons information used in the work is Parliamentary Copyright ©.
This information is reused under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0
(http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3) excepted where otherwise stated.
All Eur-lex materials used in the work is © European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/, 1998–2015.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: HB: 978-1-78225-880-3
ePDF: 978-1-78225-881-0
ePub: 978-1-78225-883-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kolb, Robert, author.
Title: Theory of international law / Robert Kolb.
Description: Oxford ; Portland, Oregon : Hart Publishing, 2016. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016020804 (print) | LCCN 2016020917 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781782258803 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781782258834 (Epub)
Subjects: LCSH: International law—Philosophy.
Classification: LCC KZ3410 .K657 2016 (print) | LCC KZ3410 (ebook) | DDC 341.01—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016020804
Typeset by Compuscript Ltd, Shannon
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to the Schneiter Foundation (University of Geneva) for its generous
financial support. I am also most grateful to Catherine Minahan for her highly
competent, painstaking and precise copy-editing; she alone made the text readable.
vi
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................v
List of Abbreviations................................................................................................xiii
Table of Cases and Practice .......................................................................................xv
Table of Legislation..................................................................................................xxv
Table of International Instruments ......................................................................xxvii
Introduction ...............................................................................................................1
Part One: The Main Pillars of the Legal System
1. History and Characteristics of International Law .............................................5
I. Historical and Conceptual Aspects ...........................................................8
A. The ‘Two Histories’ of Public International Law .............................8
II. The Substantive Subject Matter of Public International Law ...............43
A. Introductory Remarks .....................................................................43
B. The Impossibility of Defining International Law
Through its Subject Matter: Kelsen ................................................44
C. ‘Necessary’ and ‘Contingent’ Subject Matters of
Public International Law .................................................................45
D. Branches that were Part of International Law and
Have Ceased to be Part of It ............................................................53
III. Types of International Law .....................................................................57
A. Universalism, Supranationalism and Internationalism .................57
B. Law of Subordination and Law of Coordination ...........................62
C. Inter-State Law and Transnational Law ..........................................68
IV. Phases of Development of International Law ........................................71
A. Classical and Modern International Law .......................................71
B. First Phase of Development of Modern
International Law: The ‘Juridisation’ of
International Society .......................................................................74
C. Second Phase of Development of Modern
International Law: The ‘Constitutionalisation’ of
International Society .......................................................................82
D. Third Phase of Development of Modern
International Law: The ‘Community Orientation’ ........................89
viii Contents
2. Foundation, Sources and Structural Principles of International Law ............99
I. General Aspects .......................................................................................99
II. The Relationship Between the Foundation and the
Sources of International Law ................................................................100
III. The Basis of Obligation in International Law ......................................103
A. General Aspects ..............................................................................103
B. Legal Positivism .............................................................................105
C. Sociological Doctrines ...................................................................110
D. Natural Law Doctrines ..................................................................112
E. Conclusion .....................................................................................121
IV. The Sources of International Law.........................................................123
A. General Aspects ..............................................................................123
B. Customary International Law .......................................................127
C. General Principles of Law .............................................................134
D. Treaties ...........................................................................................145
E. Soft Law .........................................................................................152
F. Final Considerations .....................................................................155
V. The Structural Principles of International Law ...................................157
A. International Law as Horizontal ‘Coordinative Law’ ...................157
B. International Law as ‘Primitive’ Law? ...........................................162
C. International Law as Individualised Law ......................................168
D. International Law and Fragmentary, Empirical
and Uncertain Normativity ...........................................................170
E. International Law as Permeable and Non-Formalistic ................174
F. International Law Between Coexistence and
Cooperation ...................................................................................177
G. International Law as Non-self-sufficient Law ..............................179
3. The Subjects of International Law .................................................................183
I. General Aspects .....................................................................................183
II. The Question of Circularity Between the Sources
and the Subject ......................................................................................185
III. The Quantity or Quality of the Subjective
Legal Positions .......................................................................................187
4. Questions of Method and the Structure of Rules in
International Law ............................................................................................193
I. Method in International Law ................................................................193
II. Conceptual and Terminological Problems ...........................................196
A. Conceptual Confusions .................................................................196
B. Systematic Confusions ..................................................................200
C. Terminological Confusions ...........................................................201
D. Conclusion .....................................................................................203
Contents ix
III. What Place can be Made for Method in
International Law? .................................................................................203
IV. The Individualisation of International Law Rules and
its Consequences ...................................................................................206
A. Generalising and Individualising Perspectives .............................206
B. The Individualising Perspective in
International Law ..........................................................................209
5. The ‘Lotus Rule’ on Residual State Freedom .................................................217
I. General Aspects .....................................................................................217
II. Origin of the Residual Rule ..................................................................221
III. Relativity of the Residual Rule ..............................................................222
IV. Objections Against the Residual Rule ..................................................224
A. Objections Under the General Theory of Law .............................224
B. Objections Under International Law ............................................228
C. Objections to the Authorisation Theory ......................................232
D. Scope of the Residual Freedom Rule in
International Law ..........................................................................232
6. The Effectiveness of International Law ..........................................................237
I. General Aspects .....................................................................................237
II. Elements Pushing States towards Compliance ....................................241
III. The Comparison of Municipal Law with
International Law ..................................................................................244
IV. In Search of an Inventory ......................................................................246
V. The Public Perception of International Law ........................................253
7. International Society or International Community? ....................................259
I. General Aspects .....................................................................................259
II. Short Historical Aspects in the Western World ...................................261
A. Primitive Societies .........................................................................262
B. The Development of a ‘Common Humanity’ ..............................262
C. The Christian Republic in the Middle Ages .................................264
D. From the Spanish Scholastics to the
Nineteenth Century .......................................................................264
E. The Concert of Europe in the Nineteenth Century .....................265
F. The Twentieth Century and the Return of a
Global International Community .................................................266
III. Conceptions of the International Community ....................................267
A. Necessary International Community ...........................................267
B. Specific International Community ...............................................268
C. Institutional International Community .......................................270
IV. Society or Community? ........................................................................270