Pierre d’Argent

To what extent can history be written in advance? This naïve question lies at the heart of international law as a normative system. It explains why doubts about the possibility of its very existence are endlessly raised and reconsidered. It explains why it is – intrinsically and not only procedurally – so very ‘political’, and, for that very reason, either praised as an indispensable common language or disregarded as a dangerous illusion. Whilst not explicitly raised, and certainly not answered, this naïve question could well be the common thread binding the four books under review.