Books in the Grotius Classic Reprint Series series

If the general principles of law are not to run the risk of being exploited as an ideological cloak for self-interest, their scope and substance must be clearly defined and understood. Here, Cheng aims to inquire into the practical application of these principles by international courts and tribunals.

Originally published by Hersch Lauterpacht in 1947, this book presents a detailed study of recognition in international law, examining its crucial significance in relation to statehood, governments and belligerency. This 2012 paperback re-issue includes a newly commissioned Foreword by James Crawford, Whewell Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge.

Originally published in 1958, the achievement of the text is that, rather than attempting to provide a treatise on the organisation of international law, or a systematic digest of decisions made, it finds its basis in an appraisal of the international judicial process as a factor in the development of the law.