The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Asia and the Pacific

The growing economic and political significance of Asia has exposed a tension in the modern international order. Despite expanding power and influence, Asian states have played a minimal role in creating the norms and institutions of international law; today they are the least likely to be parties to international agreements or to be represented in international organizations.

That is changing. There is widespread scholarly and practitioner interest in international law at present in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as developments in the practice of states. The change has been driven by threats as well as opportunities. Transnational issues such as climate change and occasional flashpoints like the territorial disputes of the South China and the East China Seas pose challenges while economic integration and the proliferation of specialized branches of law and dispute settlement mechanisms have also encouraged greater domestic implementation of international norms across Asia. These evolutions join the long-standing interest in parts of Asia (notably South Asia) in post-colonial theory and the history of international law.

The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Asia and the Pacific brings together pre-eminent and emerging specialists to analyse the approach to and influence of key states of the region, as well as whether truly ‘Asian’ trends can be identified and what this might mean for international order.

The Introduction is available free through SSRN.com here.

PART I — THEMES, INSTITUTIONS, AND HISTORY
1: Introduction, Simon Chesterman, Hisashi Owada, and Ben Saul
2: Asia’s Ambivalence About International Law, Simon Chesterman
3: Regional Organizations, Tan Hsien-Li
4: History and Theory of International Law, Tony Anghie

PART II — SPECIALIZED BRANCHES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
5: Regional Peace and Security, WPS Sidhu
6: Human Rights, Hurst Hannum
7: International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law, Suzannah Linton
8: International Environmental Law, Ben Boer
9: Law of the Sea, Robert C. Beckman
10: International Economic Law, Wang Jiangyu
11: Dispute Settlement, Hisashi Owada

PART III — INTERNATIONAL LAW IN ASIAN AND PACIFIC STATES
East Asia
12: China, Li Zhaojie
13: Japan, Toshiki Mogami
14: South Korea, Seokwoo Lee and Hee Eun Lee
Southeast Asia
15: Thailand, Vitit Muntabhorn
16: Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana
17: The Philippines, Romel Bagares
18: Singapore, Li-ann Thio and Kevin YL Tan
19: Malaysia, Abdul Ghafur Hamid @ Khin Maung Sein
20: Vietnam, Trinh Hai Yen
21: Cambodia, Mahdev Mohan
22: Myanmar, Catherine Renshaw
South and Central Asia
23: India, BS Chimni
24: Pakistan, Ahmer Bilal Soofi
25: Bangladesh, Kamal Hossain and Sharif Bhuiyan
26: Nepal, Pratyush Nath Upreti and Surya Subedi
27: Sri Lanka, Rohan Perera
28: Afghanistan, Veronica Taylor
29: Central Asian States, Marina Girshovich
The Pacific (including Oceania and Australasia)
30: South Pacific Island States, Jennifer Corrin
31: Australia, Ben Saul
32: New Zealand, Kenneth Keith