System, Order and International Law The Early History of International Legal Thought from Machiavelli to Hegel

This edited collection provides a timely reassessment of thinkers from Machiavelli to Hegel that seeks to uncover the ideological bedrock of modern international legal thought from its starting point in the Renaissance. The interplay of system and order serves as a leitmotiv throughout thebook, helping to link historical models to contemporary discourse. In the first part of the book, the work of individual thinkers is considered in light of their contribution to the development of international legal thought. The second part of the book draws out horizontal themes, providing anopportunity to revaluate the discursive field and constrast it with present-day approaches. These analyses deepen our understanding of the international political realm by scrutinzing the intellectual foundations of international law as we know it.