Philosophy and International Law
A Critical Introduction
Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy and Law Series

In Philosophy and International Law, David Lefkowitz examines core questions of legal and political philosophy through critical reflection on contemporary international law. Is international law really law? The answer depends on what makes law. Does the existence of law depend on coercive enforcement? Or institutions such as courts? Or fidelity to the requirements of the rule of law? Or conformity to moral standards? Answers to these questions are essential for determining the truth or falsity of international legal skepticism, and understanding why it matters. Is international law morally defensible? This book makes a start to answering that question by engaging with recent debates on the nature and grounds of human rights, the moral justifiability of the law of war, the concept of a crime against humanity, the moral basis of universal jurisdiction, the propriety of international law governing secession, and the justice of international trade law.

1. Introduction; 2. John Austin: enforcement and international law; 3. H. L. A. Hart: social rules, officials, and international law; 4. Ronald Dworkin: interpretivism and international law; 5. An international rule of law?; 6. The legitimacy of international law; 7. International human rights law: concepts and grounds of human rights; 8. The law of war and its relationship to the morality of war; 9. International criminal law: crimes against humanity and universal jurisdiction; 10. International law and secession; 11. International trade law: free trade, fair trade, and trade in stolen goods.

David Lefkowitz is Professor of Philosophy and Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law (PPEL) at the University of Richmond. He is the founding coordinator of the PPEL Program and also has served as a Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellow at Princeton University, Class of 1958 Ethics Fellow at the US Naval Academy, and Isaac Manasseh Meyer Visiting Fellow at the National University of Singapore.