The Public International Law Theory of Hans Kelsen

The Public International Law Theory of Hans Kelsen PDF

Author: Jochen von Bernstorff

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-10-28

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 1139488589

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This analysis of Hans Kelsen's international law theory takes into account the context of the German international legal discourse in the first half of the twentieth century, including the reactions of Carl Schmitt and other Weimar opponents of Kelsen. The relationship between his Pure Theory of Law and his international law writings is examined, enabling the reader to understand how Kelsen tried to square his own liberal cosmopolitan project with his methodological convictions as laid out in his Pure Theory of Law. Finally, Jochen von Bernstorff discusses the limits and continuing relevance of Kelsenian formalism for international law under the term of 'reflexive formalism', and offers a reflection on Kelsen's theory of international law against the background of current debates over constitutionalisation, institutionalisation and fragmentation of international law. The book also includes biographical sketches of Hans Kelsen and his main students Alfred Verdross and Joseph L. Kunz.

Principles of International Law

Principles of International Law PDF

Author: Hans Kelsen

Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 1584773251

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Kelsen, Hans. Principles of International Law. New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc. [1952]. xvii, 461 pp. Reprinted 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-325-1. Cloth. $85. * Upon his retirement from the faculty of University of California at Berkeley in 1952, noted legal philosopher and political scientist Hans Kelsen [1881-1973] produced arguably this his most important work, "... a systematic study of the most important aspects of international law, including international delicts and sanctions, reprisals, the spheres of validity and the essential function of international law, creation and application of international law and national law." Nicoletta Bersier Ladavac, "Hans Kelsen (1881 - 1973) Biographical Note and Bibliography," European Journal of International Law Vol. 9 (1998) No. 2.

General Theory of Law and State

General Theory of Law and State PDF

Author: Hans Kelsen

Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 1584777176

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Reprint of the first edition. This classic work by the important Austrian jurist is the fullest exposition of his enormously influential pure theory of law, which includes a theory of the state. It also has an extensive appendix that discusses the pure theory in comparison with the law of nature, positivism, historical natural law, metaphysical dualism and scientific-critical philosophy. "The scope of the work is truly universal. It never loses itself in vague generalities or in unconnected fragments of thought. On the contrary, precision in the formulation of details and rigorous system are characteristic features of the exposition: only a mind fully concentrated upon that logical structure can possibly follow Kelsen's penetrating analysis. Such a mind will not shrink from the effort necessary for acquainting itself with...the pure theory of law in its more general aspects, and will then pass over to the theory of the state which ends up with a carefully worked out theory of international law." Julius Kraft, American Journal of International Law 40 (1946):496.

Uncertainty in International Law

Uncertainty in International Law PDF

Author: Jörg Kammerhofer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-07-12

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 1136939717

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Re-engaging with the Pure Theory of Law developed by Hans Kelsen and the other members of the Viennese School of Jurisprudence, this book looks at the causes and manifestations of uncertainty in international law. It considers both epistemological uncertainty as to whether we can accurately perceive norms in international law, and ontological problems which occur inter alia where two or more norms conflict. The book looks at these issues of uncertainty in relation to the foundational doctrines of public international law, including the law of self-defence under the United Nations Charter, customary international law, and the interpretation of treaties. In viewing international law through the lens of Kelsen’s theory Jörg Kammerhofer demonstrates the importance of the theoretical dimension for the study of international law and offers a critique of the recent trend towards pragmatism and eclecticism in international legal scholarship. The unique aspect of the monograph is that it is the only book to apply the Pure Theory of Law as theoretical approach to international law, rather than simply being a piece of intellectual history describing it. This book will of great interest to students and scholars of public international law, legal theory and jurisprudence.

Pure Theory of Law

Pure Theory of Law PDF

Author: Hans Kelsen

Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1584775785

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Reprint of the second revised and enlarged edition, a complete revision of the first edition published in 1934. A landmark in the development of modern jurisprudence, the pure theory of law defines law as a system of coercive norms created by the state that rests on the validity of a generally accepted Grundnorm, or basic norm, such as the supremacy of the Constitution. Entirely self-supporting, it rejects any concept derived from metaphysics, politics, ethics, sociology, or the natural sciences. Beginning with the medieval reception of Roman law, traditional jurisprudence has maintained a dual system of "subjective" law (the rights of a person) and "objective" law (the system of norms). Throughout history this dualism has been a useful tool for putting the law in the service of politics, especially by rulers or dominant political parties. The pure theory of law destroys this dualism by replacing it with a unitary system of objective positive law that is insulated from political manipulation. Possibly the most influential jurisprudent of the twentieth century, Hans Kelsen [1881-1973] was legal adviser to Austria's last emperor and its first republican government, the founder and permanent advisor of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Austria, and the author of Austria's Constitution, which was enacted in 1920, abolished during the Anschluss, and restored in 1945. The author of more than forty books on law and legal philosophy, he is best known for this work and General Theory of Law and State. Also active as a teacher in Europe and the United States, he was Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna and taught at the universities of Cologne and Prague, the Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Harvard, Wellesley, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Naval War College. Also available in cloth.

Collective Security Under International Law

Collective Security Under International Law PDF

Author: Hans Kelsen

Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1584771445

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Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1957. vi, 275 pp. Reprinted 2001, 2011. The noted jurist Hans Kelsen advances his theory that collective security is "...an essential function of law, national as well as international, and that, therefore, there exists an intrinsic connection between international security and international law; in other terms, that collective security of the state is, just as collective security of the individual within the state, by its very nature a legal problem." Foreword p. ii. "Professor Kelsen's high standing as a scholar is sufficient to commend in advance any volume that comes from his pen. But in this case he has chosen a subject that will at once challenge attention. The main function of the volume, in the words of the author, 'is to show that collective security is an essential function of law,' that it is 'by its very nature a legal problem.' A generation ago there were many in high places to contest the thesis. Today the bitter lesson of two world wars has established the principle for practical purposes, in spite of the difficulty of putting it into practice. But the legal aspects of the thesis remain to be clarified, and this is what Professor Kelsen does with all his power of legal analysis and systematic presentation. (...) [We] must be grateful for what we are given, an acute analysis of a fundamental principle, the applications of which we can make from our own knowledge of recent history." --C. G. Fenwick, American Journal of International Law 52 (1958) 811.

Law and Politics in the World Community

Law and Politics in the World Community PDF

Author: George A. Lipsky

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2023-11-10

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 0520349563

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This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1953.

Formalism and the Sources of International Law

Formalism and the Sources of International Law PDF

Author: Jean d'Aspremont

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2013-05-23

Total Pages: 1494

ISBN-13: 0191504831

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This book revisits the theory of the sources of international law from the perspective of formalism. It critically analyses the virtues of formalism, construed as a theory of law ascertainment, as a means of distinguishing between law and non-law. The theory of formalism is re-evaluated against the backdrop of the growing acceptance by international legal theorists of the blurring of the lines between law and non-law. At the same time, the book acknowledges that much international normative activity nowadays takes place outside the ambit of traditional international law and that only a limited part of the exercise of public authority at the international level results in the creation of international legal rules. The theory of ascertainment that the book puts forward attempts to dispel some of the illusions of formalism that accompany the traditional sources of international law. It also sheds light on the tendency of scholars, theorists, and advocates to deformalize the identification of international legal rules with a view to expanding international law. The book seeks to revitalize and refresh the formal identification of rules by engaging with some tenets of the postmodern critique of formalism. As a result, the book not only grapples with the practice of law-making at the international level, but it also offers broad theoretical insights on international law, dealing with the main schools of thought in legal theory (positivism, naturalism, legal realism, policy-oriented jurisprudence, and postmodernism). This paperback edition features the author's discussion of this book on the EJIL Talk blog.

Hans Kelsen in America - Selective Affinities and the Mysteries of Academic Influence

Hans Kelsen in America - Selective Affinities and the Mysteries of Academic Influence PDF

Author: D.A. Jeremy Telman

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-08-26

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 3319331302

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This volume explores the reasons for Hans Kelsen’s lack of influence in the United States and proposes ways in which Kelsen’s approach to law, philosophy, and political, democratic, and international relations theory could be relevant to current debates within the U.S. academy in those areas. Along the way, the volume examines Kelsen’s relationship and often hidden influences on other members of the mid-century Central European émigré community whose work helped shape twentieth-century social science in the United States. The book includes major contributions to the history of ideas and to the sociology of the professions in the U.S. academy in the twentieth century. Each section of the volume explores a different aspect of the puzzle of the neglect of Kelsen’s work in various disciplinary and national settings. Part I provides reconstructions of Kelsen’s legal theory and defends that theory against negative assessments in Anglo-American jurisprudence. Part II focuses both on Kelsen’s theoretical views on international law and his practical involvement in the post-war development of international criminal law. Part III addresses Kelsen’s theories of democracy and justice while placing him in dialogue with other major twentieth-century thinkers, including two fellow émigré scholars, Leo Strauss and Albert Ehrenzweig. Part IV explores Kelsen’s intellectual legacies through European and American perspectives on the interaction of Kelsen’s theoretical approach to law and national legal traditions in the United States and Germany. Each contribution features a particular applications of Kelsen’s approach to doctrinal and interpretive issues currently of interest in the legal academy. The volume concludes with two chapters on the nature of Kelsen’s legal theory as an instance of modernism.