David Lefkowitz’s Philosophy and International Law is an ambitious, thought-provoking, and didactic examination of many key jurisprudential, political, and ethical issues at the core of the international legal system. Its title captures well not only the overall theme of the book (you would have guessed that much), but also its emphasis: it is a philosophical inquiry about international law. It is therefore concerned neither with the underlying normative or political questions (e.g, the ethics of migration), nor with doctrinal or even theoretical debates in the law (e.g., the legal status of the “unwilling or unable” standard). Rather Lefkowitz uses philosophical analysis to shed light on many conceptual and normative issues that inhabit the international legal system, including its legitimacy, interpretation, and enforcement, but also human rights, crimes against humanity, secession, international economic law, and the laws of armed conflict. The book does a fantastic job by combining a wide breadth of themes with rigour, depth, and precision. This is in itself a tremendous achievement.
Symposia
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Comment on Lefkowitz, Philosophy and International Law: a critical introduction
David Lefkowitz has produced a book of remarkable clarity, depth, and insight, which directly explains and addresses international legal scepticism. It is a persuasive demonstration of how to enrich the philosophy of law through attention to matters other than myopic insider debates and systems other than state law; and how to cut through to the core of key…
What Rule of Law Ideal is Fit for International Law?
This summer in Morocco my tour guide told me he does not want to leave the country but needs a foreign passport. Any foreign passport will do. As a Moroccan, he is subject to arbitrary arrest, detention, and harassment by the police, but a foreign passport will protect him. It will give him other benefits, such as access…
International Law: System or Set?
“International law is a system …. not a random collection of [] norms.” So concluded the International Law Commission’s Study Group on the Fragmentation of International Law in 2006. Legal philosophers immediately recognized the target. In a footnote to their full report, the Study Group named him: The view that holds international law…
Introducing David Lefkowitz’s Philosophy and International Law
David Lefkowitz’s new book Philosophy and International Law: A Critical Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 2020) comes at a critical time in the conversation between international law scholars and practitioners, on the one hand, and philosophers, whether legal, moral, or political, on the other. More dialogue among scholars of international law and philosophy Until about fifteen years…