The Practice of International and National Courts and the (De-)Fragmentation of International Law

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There has been a considerable growth in the activities of international tribunals and the establishment of new tribunals. Supervisory bodies established to control compliance with treaty obligations have have experienced a similar development. National courts further add to the practice of adjudication of claims based on international law. While courts and supervisory bodies strengthen the adjudicatory process in international law, they also pose challenges to the unity of international law. Most of these bodies operate within their own special regime and will primarily interpret and apply international law accordingly. The role of domestic courts focuses on applying and giving effect to internaqtional law within the framework of national law. Both international and national courts have found various ways to counteract the process of fragmentation that may result from their jurisdictional limitations. This book explores how international and national courts can, and do, mitigate fragmentation of international law. It contains case studies from international regimes (including the WTO, the IMF, investment arbitration and the ECtHR) and from various national jurisdictions (including Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the UK).

Reviews

The subject matter addressed in this edited volume is timely as international and national courts increasingly apply international law... This book provides a rich and complex survey of how fragmentation in international law is being countered (or not) by international and national courts through a wide variety of ways and means. It is important to note that it reads more as a series of substantive case-studies than as a comprehensive analysis of fundamental normative questions a point which the editors acknowledge. This is understandable given that further scholarship, especially on the normative and empirical aspects, on the role of international and national courts in relation to fragmentation needs to be undertaken, and I believe that this book has contributed in no small way toward that effort. -- Tan Hsien-Li * ASIL Cables, The Official Daily of the American Society of International Law Annual Meeting *

Author Bio

Ole Kristian Fauchald is Professor of Law at the Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo. Andr Nollkaemper is Professor of Public International Law and Director of the Amsterdam Center for International Law, University of Amsterdam.