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INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE

Volume: 3 Number: 1 January 27, 2025
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INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE

Abstract

This paper critically reviews The Politics of International Law by Martti Koskenniemi, a seminal work that examines the liberal concept of the Rule of Law through a critical lens. Koskenniemi highlights the inherent tensions between normativity and concreteness in international law, as well as the interplay between rule-based and policy-based approaches. While his analysis offers significant insights into the political nature of international law and its dependence on state sovereignty, his arguments are marked by ambiguity and a lack of definitive conclusions. This paper summarises Koskenniemi’s key arguments, including his critique of liberalism, the indeterminacy of international legal argumentation, and the role of international lawyers in navigating the relationship between law and politics. The discussion evaluates these ideas from multiple perspectives, incorporating views from critical legal theory and legal realism. Although Koskenniemi raises important questions about sovereignty, sources of law, and the objectivity of international legal norms, his work is critiqued for its circular reasoning and lack of clarity. This review concludes that Koskenniemi’s contribution lies in his nuanced critique of the liberal foundations of international law, even as his failure to resolve key dilemmas leaves room for further scholarly debate. The aim of this paper is to review The Politics of International Law by outlining a straightforward framework, without engaging in a deep academic discussion.

Keywords

References

  1. Bernstorff, Jochen von. "Sisyphus Was an International Lawyer: On Martti Koskenniemi's From Apology to Utopia and the Place of Law in International Politics." German Law Journal 7, no. 12 (2006): 1015–36.
  2. Çelebi, Hürkan, and Ali Murat Özdemir. “Uluslararası Hukukta Eleştirel Yaklaşımlar." Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 7, no. 25 (2010): 69-90.
  3. Del Duca, Patrick. "Why We Read The International Lawyer-Answers Parsed from Works of Two International Lawyers." Int'l Law. 50 (2017): 87-110.
  4. D’Aspremont, Jean. "Uniting Pragmatism and Theory in International Legal Scholarship: Koskenniemi’s From Apology to Utopia Revisited." Revue Québécoise de Droit International 19 (2005): 353–60.
  5. Ford, Christopher A. "Judicial Discretion in International Jurisprudence: Article 38(1)(C) and General Principles of Law." Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law 5 (1994): 35–77.
  6. French, Robert. "Conference on Judicial Reasoning: Art or Science?" Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences 42, no. 1 (2010): 5–9.
  7. Georgiev, Dragoljub. "Politics or Rule of Law: Deconstruction and Legitimacy in International Law." European Journal of International Law 4, no. 1 (1993): 1–14.
  8. Harrison, Ross. Hobbes, Locke, and Confusion's Masterpiece: An Examination of Seventeenth-Century Political Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Legal Theory, Jurisprudence and Legal Interpretation

Journal Section

Other

Authors

Publication Date

January 27, 2025

Submission Date

December 13, 2024

Acceptance Date

December 27, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 3 Number: 1

APA
Erhan Bulut, Z. (2025). INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi, 3(1), 48-56. https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA
AMA
1.Erhan Bulut Z. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi. 2025;3(1):48-56. https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA
Chicago
Erhan Bulut, Zeynep. 2025. “INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE”. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi 3 (1): 48-56. https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA.
EndNote
Erhan Bulut Z (January 1, 2025) INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi 3 1 48–56.
IEEE
[1]Z. Erhan Bulut, “INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE”, Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 48–56, Jan. 2025, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA
ISNAD
Erhan Bulut, Zeynep. “INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE”. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi 3/1 (January 1, 2025): 48-56. https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA.
JAMA
1.Erhan Bulut Z. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi. 2025;3:48–56.
MLA
Erhan Bulut, Zeynep. “INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE”. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi, vol. 3, no. 1, Jan. 2025, pp. 48-56, https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA.
Vancouver
1.Zeynep Erhan Bulut. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND POLITICS: AN ANALYSIS OF MARTTI KOSKENNIEMI’S ARTICLE. Karatekin Hukuk Dergisi [Internet]. 2025 Jan. 1;3(1):48-56. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA75AD77PA