Oxford University Press The Thin Justice of International Law: A Moral Reckoning of the Law of Nations

In a world full of armed conflict and human misery, global justice remains one of the most compelling missions of our time. Understanding the promises and limitations of global justice demands a careful appreciation of international law, the web of binding norms and institutions that help govern the behaviour of states and other global actors. This book provides a new interdisciplinary approach to global justice, one that integrates the work and insights of international law and contemporary ethics. It asks whether the core norms of international law are just, appraising them according to a standard of global justice derived from the fundamental values of peace and the protection of human rights. Through a combination of a careful explanation of the legal norms and philosophical argument, Ratner concludes that many international law norms meet such a standard of justice, even as distinct areas of injustice remain within the law and the verdict is still out on others. Among the subjects covered in the book are the rules on the use of force, self-determination, sovereign equality, the decision making procedures of key international organizations, the territorial scope of human rights obligations (including humanitarian intervention), and key areas of international economic law. Ultimately, the book shows how an understanding of international law's moral foundations will enrich the global justice debate, while exposing the ethical consequences of different rules. Review Ratner's extensive experience as an expert and adviser to the Unites States' government, international non-governmental organizations and various international institutions on a wide range of issues... brings rich texture to the discussion of the effects of international law rules on protecting peace and respecting human rights. This feature is reason enough to read the book, for a reader unfamiliar with international law will gain more than a basic understanding of its operation. It also marks the book as a vast improvement over the ample scholarly discourse on global justice, which has paid scant attention to the way in which international law operates and the values it embodies. International law is at best marginal to such discourse, and if it plays any role at all is to serve as a contrast to strongly idealized concepts of an international global order. ― Carmen Pavel, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Steven Ratners The Thin Justice of International Law offers a timely, comprehensive and theoretically rich interdisciplinary theory of international law's relationship with global justice. It is a major contribution to the burgeoning literature on global justice, with a fine eye to legal detail and institutional design. ― Patrick Macklem, Michigan Law Review Ratner is able to convey the crux of complex debates in a couple of sentences and he takes many controversial issues head on. The combination of detailed knowledge of international law and its connexion to philosophical conceptions also makes this book a perfect introduction to international law... it needs to be wholeheartedly applauded. ― Christoph Kletzer, Law and Philosophy Ratner does not limit his engagement with political philosophy to one topic or his philosophical interlocutors to one or two big names. Rather, he makes the courageous choice to dive into the deep end of contemporary political philosophy, to engage with arguments made by more than two dozen theorists on topics including war, self-determination and secession, state borders, sovereign equality, human rights, universal jurisdiction, global trade, and international investment. ― David Lefkowitz, Ethics The Thin Justice of International Law is carefully written and meticulously argued; it covers a vast array of issues and contemporary debates. Furthermore, it does so with impressive command of the relevant arguments in both law and philosophy. Ratner's conclusions are always judicious and sensible. ― Aleja