International Law and the Public - by Geoffrey P R Wallace

About the Book

"This book investigates the public as a crucial - yet often overlooked - actor in international law compared to the conventional focus on elites. Integrating insights across numerous fields and leveraging an array of evidence, the book demonstrates that ordinary people have an extensive impact on the operation of international legal commitments"--

Book Synopsis

In International Law and the Public, Geoffrey P.R. Wallace investigates the public as a crucial, often overlooked, actor in international law. He asks just who is it that counts in the operation of the international legal order. Defying conventional wisdom that sees governments, leaders, generals, lawyers, or elites from the upper echelons of society as the main international legal players, Wallace advances a "popular international law" where ordinary people are considered important legal actors in their own right alongside the usual focus on elites. Far from powerless or unwitting, publics possess both the cognitive and material capacities to understand and contribute to the intricacies of international legal rules. Combining rigorous theorizing with wide-ranging evidence, International Law and the Public is an account of an international legal politics from below, taking seriously the place of ordinary people in international affairs.

Review Quotes

This book breaks new ground by focusing on individuals as active participants in its implementation, making it a valuable contribution to the existing monographic literature on this topic. Recommended for libraries with international law collections.

-- "Choice"

About the Author

Geoffrey P.R. Wallace is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. He works in the areas of international security and international law focusing on the conduct of actors during armed conflict. He is the author of Life and Death in Captivity.