Akehurst's Modern Introduction to International Law

1. Introduction

2. History

3. Sources of international law

4. International law and municipal law

5. Creation and recognition of States

6. Legal personality of non-State entities

7. Territory

8. The law of the sea

9. Air space and outer space

10. State jurisdiction

11. Immunity from jurisdiction

12. Law of treaties

13. State responsibility

14. State succession

15. Protected persons and entities: nationality and individual rights

16. Protected persons and entities: human rights, group rights, and self-determination

17. Protection of the environment

18. International economic relations

19. International criminal justice

20. Use of force

21. Laws applicable to war and armed conflict

22. The United Nations and peace and security

23. Settlement of disputes

Biography

Alexander Orakhelashvili (LLM Leiden, PhD Cantab), Professor at the University of Birmingham, UK, has taught and researched public international law at four British universities over the past twenty years. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and seminars on developments in public international law, and has given invited papers at the events and conferences held in the UK, the USA, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Japan. He has provided legal advice regarding public international law issues in litigation before English and American courts. His publications include Peremptory Norms in International Law (2006), The Interpretation of Acts and Rules in Public International Law (2008), Collective Security (2011), Domesticating Kelsen: Towards the Pure Theory of English Law (2019), and International Law and International Politics: Foundations of Interdisciplinary Analysis (2020), as well as three edited collections and more than eighty articles and book chapters in leading journals and edited collections.

"For over half a century Akehurst has stood out among introductions to international law for its readability and comprehensiveness, and its insightful analysis. Alexander Orakhelashvili has done a superb job in bringing it not only into the twenty-first century but right up to date. It remains an essential reference point for everyone in the field."

Philip Alston, John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law, New York University, USA

"First published in 1970, Akehurst is a classic textbook that has introduced generations of students to the study of international law. In this ninth edition, Alexander Orakhelashvili brings it fully up to date while preserving its distinctly clear and insightful treatment of both doctrinal and theoretical questions. Akehurst remains an essential companion for every serious student of international law."

Umut Özsu, Associate Professor, Carleton University, Canada

"Alexander Orakhelashvili has masterfully updated Akehurst’s textbook for the ninth edition to include recent developments in international law, notably in the law of the sea, treaty law, international trade law, and, of course, international criminal law."

Kevin W. Gray, Lecturer, University of Toronto, Canada

"This new edition of Akehurst has been fully updated by Orakhelashvili to take into account key developments in terms of state practice, treaties, and case law. It is an up to date and comprehensive yet accessible introduction to international law that will be of use to students of all levels, academics, practitioners, and anybody with an interest in international law as it operates in both its historical and contemporary context."

Christian Henderson, Professor of International Law, University of Sussex, UK