A warm welcome to The Law of Nations. The overarching theme of the blog is the role of public and private international law in the decisions of the English courts. Our opening selection of posts demonstrates that, from commercial cases to human rights claims, a huge range of public and private international law principles are now regularly applied by the English courts. The issues now covered by the courts range from state immunity to diplomatic immunity; service out of the jurisdiction; the enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments; the application of customary international law in the UK; the application of the UK’s international obligations to its conduct abroad; international sanctions; and many other aspects of international law.
The richness of the case law reflects, in large part, London’s historical role as a centre of international financial transactions – lawful and unlawful – and as a leading centre of international dispute settlement through the courts and, increasingly, the various arbitral mechanisms. Although Brexit is not the central focus of the blog, the question of London’s continuing international role will not be ignored on these pages; and if the Brexit project goes ahead, then many thorny issues of international law are likely to arise.
The Law of Nations aims to provide in-depth analysis of English court decisions across the vast range of areas where international law issues arise. It will combine sharp analysis with lively commentary, perspectives from abroad, weekly news roundups and the occasional guest feature and interview.
Central to the blog’s mission is to provide timely commentary on significant domestic decisions across the whole field of public and private international law, from the controversial Supreme Court decision to the first instance judgment that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Over the coming weeks, we will be mixing coverage of the latest cases with reflection on the most significant developments of the last year or so.
Enjoy!
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