The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs

The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs by John F. Murphy (Cambridge University Press, Published November 2004).

Review. "Professor Murphy has written a thoughtful, intellectually rigorous, readily accessible overview of the relationship between the United States and contemporary international law. This volume provides a superb starting point for those seeking to understand the role of the sole superpower in today's global legal order." Michael Byers, Duke University School of Law

See also G. John Ikenberry's review in Foreign Affairs, January/February 2005 issue ("This book provides a useful overview of Washington's ambivalent, shifting stance toward the international rule of law. Murphy does not offer a grand theory to explain growing U.S. resistance to international legal agreements. His emphasis is on the ambiguity of international law, its unsettled status under the U.S. Constitution, and the expansion in the range of issues brought into the international legal realm.").

Book Description: "John Murphy offers an insightful analysis of why the United States does not always accept the rule of law in international affairs, even though it has made immense contributions to its creation, adoption, and implementation. Examining the reasons for this failure, John Murphy analyses a number of cases, not to make a case that the United States has been an international outlaw, but to illustrate the wide-ranging difficulties standing in the way of US adherence to the rule of law. He explains how the nature of the US legal system and the idiosyncrasies of the international legal process combine to compound problems for the United States, and he explores several alternative scenarios for the position of the United States vis-à-vis international law. This timely book offers a much needed examination of US attitudes and practices and makes a major contribution to the contemporary literature in international law and international relations."

378 pp
Hardback | ISBN: 0521822564 at $85
Paperback | ISBN: 0521529689 at $30 (Available in March, 2005)