Altruism in International Law

Much emphasis has been placed on the role that individualism, self-interest and reciprocity have in the formation and function of international legal rules. Rarely has attention been given to the presence of altruism in legal systems, let alone the international legal system. In a study that is the first of its kind in international legal scholarship, Altruism in International Law explores and analyses the emergence of altruistic legal relationships between states and people in other countries. The book also argues that the impulse for the emergence of these relationships is a cosmopolitan ideology, which co-exists with a persisting statist ideology, among the major actors in international law-making processes. Further still, the book reveals that individualistic legal norms are more often manifested as strict rules while altruistic legal norms find expression in flexible standards. This suggests that there is a connection between substance and form in international law.

Introduction; 1. Altruism; 2. The making of altruism in international law; 3. The substance of altruism in international law: co-operation for the other; 4. The substance of altruism in international law: protection for the other; 5. The substance of altruism in international law: development for the other; 6. The substance of altruism in international law: environmental justice for the other; 7. The form of altruism in international law; 8. Conclusion.

Jason Rudall is Assistant Professor of Public International Law at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University. His other books include Compensation for Environmental Damage under International Law (2020) and The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses: A Commentary (2018). He has worked with international organisations, NGOs, law firms and in litigation.