International Law: The Lost Metaphor? Reflections on the Current Wars
International Law: The Lost Metaphor? Reflections on the Current Wars

Author(s): Paulo de Brito
Subject(s): International Law, Philosophy of Law, Sociology of Law
Published by: ADJURIS – International Academic Publisher
Keywords: international law; use of force; collective punishment; self-defence;
Summary/Abstract: The wars currently ravaging our planet lead us to question the normative character of international law with its corresponding imperativeness. Are we facing the decay of international law, as Anthony Carty2 wrote in the last century? Has the metaphor been lost? Is there still any hope for tomorrow? We will analyse the current war situation to question the imperative normativity of international law. On this subject, Martti Koskenniemi3 wrote "From Apology to Utopia" and later "The Gentle Civilizer of Nations": has international law lost this character? The answer will remain open, and this essay will be a speculative treatment of the subject.

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