Publication Date
2010
Publication Title
Public Law & Legal Theory
Abstract
A trope of international law scholarship is that the United States is an “exceptionalist” nation, one that takes a distinctive (frequently hostile, unilateralist, or hypocritical) stance toward international law. However, all major powers are similarly “exceptionalist,” in the sense that they take distinctive approaches to international law that reflect their values and interests. We illustrate these arguments with discussions of China, the European Union, and the United States. Charges of international-law exceptionalism betray an undefended assumption that one particular view of international law (for scholars, usually the European view) is universally valid.
Number
290
Recommended Citation
Eric Posner & Anu Bradford, "Universal Exceptionalism in International Law" (University of Chicago Public Law & Legal Theory Working Paper No. 290, 2010).
Additional Information
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