Republican Principles in International Law

Republican legal principles have shaped international law from the beginning. The same commitment to justice and the common good of all people that justified the French and American revolutions, also supported the emerging law of nations, and formed its most important doctrines. Republican Principles in International Law considers some of the central questions in contemporary international law from a republican perspective, to set out in clear terms the necessary implications of fundamental truths about law and justice. All states have a right to republican government under international law, because only republican government can justify the role that the states play in international affairs. Republican principles in international law begin with the common good of the people, but also incorporate the legal and political requirements that history and experience have proved necessary to secure justice. There will be no justice within or between states without popular sovereignty, the separation of powers, the rule of law, democratic elections and strong guarantees of individual human rights.