Problems and Process: International Law and How We Use It

Based upon the revised text of her Hague Academy lectures, Professor Higgins presents an original and thought-provoking study of the nature and processes of international law, and reveals the complex relationship between legal norms and the policy objectives which lie at the heart of this subject.

Introduction ; 1. The nature and function of international law ; 2. Sources of international law: Provenance and problems ; 3. Participants in the international legal system ; 4. Allocating competence: Jurisdiction ; 5. Exceptions to jurisdictional competence: Immunities from suit and enforcement ; 6. Responding to individual needs: Human rights ; 7. Self determination ; 8. Natural resources and international norms ; 9. Accountability and liability: The law of state responsibility ; 10. The United Nations ; 11. Dispute settlement and the International Court of Justice ; 12. The role of national courts in the international legal process ; 13. Oiling the wheels of international law: Equity and proportionality ; 14. The individual use of force in international law ; 15. The use of force by the United Nations