Reconstructing Power and Hegemony in Public International Law

This open access book examines international law from a critical perspective, at a time when some would say that it is under an existential threat. The modern international institutions — collective security through the UN, the monetary order of the Bretton Woods system, and trade liberalisation anchored in the World Trade Organization — are all contested. Several of the contributions explore whether international lawyers might want to consider positioning themselves in opposition to this wave of contestation. While some aspects of the global system may be ripe for reform, the world stands at a crossroads: will an emerging multipolar order lead to greater instability, or might it fulfill some of the aspirations expressed in earlier critiques?

The volume is structured around six central themes: critical doctrinalism, constructing and redefining identities, the role of scholars, the politics of historicising international law, international law as an instrument and a part of warfare, and reconsidering hegemony, imperialism, and colonialism.

The aim is to deepen the understanding of what is at stake in the current state of the international world order. As such, the book is intended for scholars, students, and the general public. It is published in tribute to Pål Wrange, Professor in International Law at the Faculty of Law of Stockholm University.

Mark Klamberg is a Professor in International Law at the Faculty of Law of Stockholm University in Sweden.

Katinka Svanberg is a Senior University Lecturer in International Law and LL.D. from Stockholm University in Sweden.

Love Rönnelid is a Senior Associate Lecturer in International Law at the Faculty of Law of Stockholm University in Sweden.