The tension between global and local impulses in world order are dramatically played-out in the arena of world law. This short volume develops a set of provocative theses: globalism is not new; it is neither legally inevitable nor irreversible; and international legal systems and institutions can assert only a special and limited influence on globalizing developments. The book considers what legal objects are being pursued by globalism and to what ends. Are globalizing trends for international law likely to continue? What are the legitimate limits of these legal and regulatory institutions? This book will be of interest to international relations specialists and critics of globalization alike.

This volume develops a set of provocative themes: globalization is not new; it is neither legally inevitable nor irreversible; and international legal systems and institutions can assert only a special and limited influence on globalizing developments.