Sovereignty, the WTO, and Changing Fundamentals of International Law

by John H. Jackson

• ISBN13: 9780521748414
• ISBN10: 0521748410
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-27
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The last decade of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first century has been one of the most challenging periods for the generally accepted assumptions of international law. This book grapples with these long-held assumptions (such as the consent basis of international law norms, equality of nations, restrictive or text-based treaty interpretations and applications, the monopoly of internal national power, and non-interference), and how they are being fundamentally altered by the forces of globalization. It also examines the challenges facing the WTO as a component of international economic law, and how that field is inextricably linked to general international law.

Table of Contents

Part I. Challenges to International Law Fundamental Assumptions: 1. Introduction: International law and international economic law in the interdependent world of the twenty-first century; 2. The real world impinges on international law: exploring the challenges to the fundamental assumptions of international law and institutions; 3. Sovereignty modern: a new approach to an outdated concept; Part II. The WTO: 4. The WTO as international organization: institutional evolution, structure and key problems; 5. The WTO dispute settlement system; Part III. The Search for Solutions: 6. Policy, analytical approaches and thought experiments; 7. Illustrative applications; 8. Perspectives, implications, and some conclusions.