Research Handbook on International Courts and Tribunals (Hardcover)

Reviews

"AN IMPORTANT NEW LEGAL RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION" by Phillip T. - 2 April 2017

AN IMPORTANT NEW LEGAL RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION ON INTERNATIONAL COURTS & TRIBUNALS PUBLISHED BY EDWARD ELGAR An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers In the introduction to this formidable and important work, William A Schabas writes that “most if not all domestic justice systems have complex and often confusing judicial structures, a web of courts and tribunals, nested in hierarchies, with varying levels of responsibility, specialization and authority”. Just so! The editors and their contributors to this new handbook write that “since the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration for international dispute resolution in 1899, the number of international courts and tribunals has multiplied and the reach of their jurisdiction has steadily expanded”. That is very much the case although the pace of change and modernization has been rather slow with a lack of commitment by some. Times are, of course, changing rapidly and Edward Elgar Publishing, an independent firm provides what is described as “a synthetic overview and critical analysis of these developments from multiple perspectives, this Research Handbook both contextualizes and stimulates future research and practice in this rapidly developing field”. In other, easier words, it is a great read at a great time of global change! Elgar and the editors have commissioned chapters specifically from leading and emerging scholars, so this “thematic and interpretive, system-wide and inter-jurisdictional comparative approach to the main issues, debates and controversies related to the growth of international courts and tribunals” is a welcome addition to the growing number of titles now available to academics in this field. The two editors, William A Schabas and Shannonbrooke Murphy, have conducted a first-class review of influential international judgements which “traverses the areas of international peace and security law, international human rights law, international criminal law and international economic law, while also including critical reflection by practitioners”. Yes, this work is a “nuanced review of the latest thinking on scholarly debates and controversies in international courts and tribunals”. It is both a key resource for academic researchers and a concise introduction to the subject for post-graduate students in a one-stop academic text shop for research. And, of course, it goes without saying that the academic community rely more and more heavily on these excellent research handbooks which independent publishers, Edward Elgar, produce for us in the legal profession. We found that the individual chapters also offer topics of practical relevance to lawyers, practitioners and international decision-makers at a time of procedural transition. The publication date is cited as at 2017and is available electronically and in print.