Comparative International Law

By definition, international law, once agreed upon and consented to, applies to all parties equally. It is perhaps the one area of law where cross-country comparison seems inappropriate, because all parties are governed by the same rules. However, as this book explains, states sometimes adhere to similar, and at other times, adopt different interpretations of the same international norms and standards. International legal rules are not a monolithic whole, but are the basis for ongoing contestation in which states set forth competing interpretations. International norms are interpreted and redefined by national executives, legislatures, and judiciaries. These varying and evolving interpretations can, in turn, change and impact the international rules themselves. These similarities and differences make for an important, but thus far, largely unexamined object of comparison. This is the premise for this book, and for what the editors call "comparative international law."

This book achieves three objectives. The first is to show that international law is not a monolith. The second is to map the cross-country similarities and differences in international legal norms in different fields of international law, as well as their application and interpretation with regards to geographic differences. The third is to make a first and preliminary attempt to explain these differences. It is organized into three broad thematic sections, exploring: conceptual matters, domestic institutions and comparative international law, and comparing approaches across issue-areas. The chapters are authored by contributors who include leading international law and comparative law scholars with diverse backgrounds, experience, and perspectives.

Anthea Roberts is Associate Professor at the RegNet School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University, College of Asia and the Pacific. She won ASIL's Frances Deak Prize in 2002 and 2011, and currently serves as a Reporter for the American Law Institute's--Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States (for jurisdiction). She authored Is International Law International? (Oxford 2017).

Paul B. Stephan is John C. Jeffries, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Law, and John V. Ray Research Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. He specializes in international business, international dispute resolution, and comparative law, with special focus on Soviet and post-Soviet legal systems. He is presently a coordinating reporter for the American Law Institute's--Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States.

Pierre-Hugues Verdier is Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He specializes in the areas of public international law, banking and financial regulation, and international economic relations. He is currently working on a book-length project focusing on U.S. and foreign prosecutions targeting global banks.

Mila Versteeg is Class of 1941 Research Professor of Law and Director of the Human Rights Program at the University of Virginia School of Law. She specializes in comparative constitutional law, public international law, and empirical legal studies. She also focuses on the origins, evolution, and effectiveness of provisions in the world's constitutions. Her writings have been published in the California Law Review, the New York University Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review, the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Legal Studies, the American Journal of International Law, and the Journal of Law, Economics and Organizations.