International Law and the Construction of the Liberal Peace

(Hardback)

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This book argues that since the end of the Cold War an international community of liberal states has crystallised within the broader international society of sovereign states. Significantly, this international community has demonstrated a tendency to deny non-liberal states their previously held sovereign right to non-intervention. Instead, the international community considers only those states that demonstrate respect for liberal democratic standards to be sovereign equals. Indeed the international community, motivated by the theory that international peace and security can only be achieved in a world composed exclusively of liberal states, has engaged in a sustained campaign to promote its liberal values to non-liberal states. This campaign has had (and continues to have) a profound impact upon the structure and content of international law. In light of this, this book deploys the concepts of the international society and the international community in order to construct an explanatory framework that can enable us to better understand recent changes to the political and legal structure of the world order and why violations of international peace and security occur.

Reviews

a captivating and well-argued account of the contributions of the international community and international society (seemingly similar yet clearly to be distinguished concepts which are central to the argument developed in the book) to the construction of a liberal peace. He brings us a clear and well-researched theory which, in essence, is that liberalism is a useful if not necessary theory to understand recent and less recent developments in the world order, both legally and politically/ institutionallyI have no hesitation in recommending this book to any international law or international relations scholar. -- Eric De Brabandere * Netherlands International Law Review 2014, Issue 2 *
Russell Buchans book offers a sophisticated and in-depth analysis of the enduring relevance of the project of liberal peace in the twenty-first century...the author presents a well-structured account of the strength of liberal values in the area of preservation of peace, and contributes to the rationalization of the debates on the use of force. His book enriches scholarship and can be expected to advance academic debate on the structure, finality, and legitimacy of international law and international order. -- Achilles Skordas * International and Comparative Law Quarterly *

Author Bio

Russell Buchan is a Lecturer in International Law at the University of Sheffield.