UNIVERSALISING INTERNATIONAL LAW

 

Has modern international law been evolved in a closed monocultural Eurocentric box? Why has it not absorbed the wisdom of other cultures and traditions? Judge Weeramantry has played a lead role in trying to open it up to the wisdom of all the world’s cultures and civilizations.

 

Here is a vision of international law for the new century.

 

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Universalizing international law is one of the most urgent tasks awaiting those who wish to advance the discipline. Though all the world acknowledges its universal nature, it has long been confined in a largely monocultural mould.

It is hoped that these studies will highlight the imperative need that now exists for extending the conceptual framework of international law, thereby buttressing its moral authority and widening its appeal at a time when universal acceptance of international law is one of the most pressing demands of the international system.

 

Universalising International Law is a thought provoking contribution to the debate about international law in the post – September 11 world.


 



While United States President George W.Bush has attempted to monopolise international law to justify the ‘war on terror’, Christopher Weeramantry argues that a system of law that remains mono-cultural has no claim to being either international or effective.[…] The essays brim with the enthusiasm of an author who knows he is addressing a varied international audience, including Prime Ministers, educators, students, judges and members of the public. The main argument is coherently developed, demonstrating Weeramantry’s consistency and dedication to his cause over many years.’

John Strawson, Melbourne Journal of International Law. 2004

His new book brings together many of his lectures and judgments, along with some fresh material, all of it synthesized through his principle of “universalisation”. In many ways, this book is an older scholar’s effort to inspire beginning scholars and practitioners …


Roger S.Clark , American Journal of International Law,2005.