Public international law is a global legal system which regulates the conduct of countries and other actors. Public International Law offers Australian students a comprehensive and accessible introduction to international law. Covering the fundamental topics of international law - including treaties, use of force and dispute settlement - this text also discusses specialised branches such as humanitarian law, criminal law and environmental law. The key principles and theories of international law are clearly explained and analysed, and their application is illustrated by succinct, carefully chosen extracts from cases and materials.
These sources strike a balance between key international cases and important cases from domestic legal systems. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter encourage students to apply and test their understanding of each topic, while a glossary of key terms clearly explains complex concepts. Written by an expert author team, Public International Law is a fundamental resource for Australian students of international law.
About the Authors
Emily Crawford is an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Law School, where she teaches and researches in international law and international humanitarian law. She has published widely in the field of international humanitarian law, including three monographs and a textbook, and is co-editor of the Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies.
Alison Pert (LLB (Hons), LLM, Ph.D.) is an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney where she lectures in public international law and international law and the use of armed force. She has practised as a lawyer in government and in the private sector in London, Papua New Guinea and Australia, and has represented Australia at international organisations including Unidroit and UNCITRAL, and in treaty negotiations. She is the author of Australia as a Good International Citizen (Federation Press, 2014) and co-author of International Humanitarian Law (CUP, 3rd edition forthcoming, 2023, with Emily Crawford).
Ben Saul is Challis Chair of International Law at the University of Sydney, and an Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague. He has taught at Harvard, Oxford, The Hague Academy of International Law and in Italy, India, Nepal, and Cambodia, and been a visitor at the Max Planck Institute for International Law and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights. He has published 20 books and hundreds of articles. His books include Defining Terrorism in International Law (2006), the Oxford Commentary on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2014) (awarded a Certificate of Merit by the American Society of International Law), the Research Handbook on International Law and Terrorism (2020), and the Oxford Guide to International Humanitarian Law (2020). Ben has advised United Nations bodies, governments, militaries and security agencies, and NGOs; practised in international tribunals; and undertaken missions in over thirty-five countries. He has a doctorate from Oxford and honours degrees in Arts and Law from Sydney.
