Overview

Over the past several decades, mainstream departments of political science and government have neglected the study of international law. To many international relations scholars, legal rules played no real role in the behavior of international actors-- international law was merely "epiphenomenal." As a consequence, many students of international politics simply do not study international law in any systematic fashion. But as recent world events demonstrate, it is impossible to gain an accurate understanding of contemporary international relations without an appreciation of the place of international law.

Without a knowledge of international law, scholars cannot accurately evaluate the behavior of states and other international actors in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, and elsewhere. Developments such as the American refusal to ratify the Statue of the International Criminal Court, or the rejection of the Kyoto Agreement, or the efforts to gain particular language in a Security Council resolution on Iraq are difficult to assess in the absence of an understanding of legal rules and an appreciation of the ways in which these rules may affect behavior. In the policy realm, failure to recognize the role of international law can lead to foreign policy disasters. International law is the language of diplomacy. Policy makers at all levels, legislators and their staff, and judges could make serious miscalculations without a full comprehension of legal rules.

Georgetown University has a long tradition of teaching and research in international law and related fields. For years, Professor Ernst Feilchenfeld taught in the Department of Government, and from 1950 until 1993, Professor William V. O'Brien was a mainstay in the Department. Professor O'Brien was one of the world's leading experts on just war theory and international law dealing with the use of force. Moreover, international law is also critical to Georgetown's Jesuit tradition of concern for international peace and justice. Building upon these traditional strengths, the Department established the Institute for International Law and Politics in order to promote teaching and research in this area of the intersection of international law and international relations.