Mark Gibney - International Law: Our Common Future

International Law: Our Common Future offers a dynamic approach to the study of international law that actively engages students in ways that more traditional textbooks do not. One way this is achieved is by focusing on recent events, including international terrorism, extraordinary rendition, the legality of drone strikes, environmental devastation, and human rights. Another is by having students wrestle with actual court rulings rather than being given short summaries of these decisions. These cases, which are from a wide array of international, regional, and domestic tribunals, are followed by a series of provocative and challenging questions and prompts that will naturally lead to classroom discussion and debate.

The book recognizes the importance of visual media in terms of student learning In addition to photographs of individuals and events that feature prominently in the development of international law, each chapter has sections entitled International Law at the Movies which highlight feature films and documentaries that explore the topic at hand.

What students will quickly come to realize is that international law is not a distant and abstract entity, but rather, is intimately connected to various aspects of their daily lives. The book shows some of the remarkable changes in international law, most notably the declining importance of the role of the state. As a final point, the book is written in an engaging, almost conversational, style that is accessible to students in a wide array of academic disciplines.

Mark Gibney is the Belk Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and an affiliated scholar at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, Sweden. From 20142016 he served as the inaugural Raoul Wallenberg Visiting Professor of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at the Faculty of Law, Lund University and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. Gibney is one of the founding members of the Extraterritorial Obligations (ETO) Consortium, and he serves on the Board of Editors of Human Rights Quarterly, the Journal of Human Rights , and the International Studies Journal (Iran). Since 1984, Gibney has directed the Political Terror Scale (PTS) (PoliticalTerrorScale.org), which measures levels of physical integrity violations in more than 190 states, and this work has recently been expanded to include the Societal Violence Scale (SVS), which provides a comparative analysis of human rights violations by nonstate actors. His recent book publications include: International Human Rights Law: Returning to Universal Principles (2015, 2d ed.); Litigating Transnational Human Rights Obligations: Alternative Judgments (2014); Handbook of Human Rights (2014); and Watching Human Rights: The 101 Best Films (2013).

This textbook on international law is innovative in its pedagogical approach. Rather than seeing international law as something alien and non-relevant for us as individual citizens, Gibney very convincingly brings international law home. He demonstrates how these sets of rules are relevant in our daily lives, how we are all affected, and largely protected by international law, and ultimately how we all depend on strong and functioning international law for a common future. This is an exciting book for anyone teaching or learning international law.

Sigrun Skogly , Lancaster University, UK

In this much-needed and refreshing volume, Mark Gibney breaks with the century-old idiosyncrasies of what an international law text book should look like. His problem-centered approach is likely to find favor with both students and teachers.

Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen , University of Copenhagen, Denmark

At last an innovative and highly accessible case-driven international law textbook for undergraduates! Gibneys plain-language approach demystifies the often-esoteric complexity of the subject by examining the intersectionalites between international and domestic law in key areas of concern international terrorism, warfare, and human rights. Engagingly written and often including concurring and dissenting opinions, International Law: Our Common Future is an excellent active-learning text for the student-centered classroom.

Daniel J. Whelan , Hendrix College, USA

Instructors of undergraduate international law courses have long been looking for a book like Mark Gibneys International Law: Our Common Future . He has effectively created a very accessible, interesting, and engaging text that at the same time gives students a solid introduction to the nature and functioning of international law within international politics, including analysis of several key areas, such as terrorism, war, and human rights. Most innovative compared to other texts is the illustrative use of multiple cases and court decisions, a clear writing style revealing the practical nature of the politics and daily life of international law, and sections on learning about international law through film. This book will be a great teaching tool and text in my political science course in international law.

Safia Swimelar , Elon University, USA

Mark Gibneys new text covers a full range of topics in international law, but it will be particularly useful to those interested in national and international security. The selection of judicial rulings provides a splendid introduction to contentious legal (and moral) debates as they have actually played out in national and international courts and tribunals.

David Kinsella , Portland State University, USA

First published 2020
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2020 Mark Gibney

The right of Mark Gibney to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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ISBN: 978-1-138-10445-7 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-10446-4 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-10223-8 (ebk)

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Cover art credit:
"Maria, inside since April 14, 2014"
Charcoal and acrylic on canvas (2015)
Artist: Ben Betsalel (BenBetsalel.com)
The cover image is from a prison project in Colombia, "Human Beings Inside and Outside," done in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).