Cases on International Law

This book provides a well organised and carefully edited introduction to international law. Exerpts from relevant cases, international agreements and juristic writings are interwoven with insightful commentary and questions. Each topic is introduced and explained in the text. As an earlier reviewer noted, some aspects of the book are now outdated, and it is to be hoped that a revised edition will eventually be published. Also, the chapters on jurisdiction and immunity therefrom, concentrate, in large part though not entirely, on the legislation enacted in the United States, which may not be of interest to readers who reside elsewhere. I read this book while studying a basic course in international law, which covered the sources of international law, the law of treaties, the United Nations system, jurisdiction, immunity from jurisdiction, the use of force and state responsibility. I found that the level of detail presented in the book corresponded closely to that of the course itself. I also found the text to be an excellent starting point for research, although as I turned to more specific areas of international law it became necessary, as one would expect, to consult more specialized references. In conclusion, this book, though out of date in some respects, still provides an outstanding introduction to the subject which I would definitely recommend.

If Akerhurst's Modern Introduction to International Law can be said to be a quick overview for students beginning to study international law, Henkin's International Law is for those who already have some study behind them and are ready to delve more deeply into specific issues. At first the format of the book may seem confusing, for unlike introductory works like Akehurst in which the author writes the entire text in his own words, Henkin is filled with actual case judgements, tribunal decisions, articles of law, and the opionions of other journalists (although less so than Harris's International Law : Cases and Materials). At times, the actual text of the book seem little more than footnotes to the the above. However, unlike Akehurst, which tends to stick to one viewpoint, this vast amount of material enables Henkin to illuminate the areas of controversy in international law and helps the reader to build his own opinions. One problem with this book, however, is that the third edition came out in 1993 and is therefore rather dated, especially in terms of international economic law. For instance, it fails to take into account the WTO and EU. However, the traditional areas of international law are well documented, and even the dated parts of the book still have relevance to the issues important today. This is definitely a book to have at hand when making a study of international law in general or dealing with a specific issue that involves international law.