This new book by one of the most distinguished scholars of his generation offers a compelling view of modern international law. Based upon his Hague Academy lectures, the author establishes a framework through which the legal reasoning and theories which inform modern international law can be understood by students seeking an introduction to this large and complex area of law. He offers a critical analysis of the prescriptive norms and institutions of modern international law and argues that they have the capacity to advance, in practice, the abstract social values shared by the community of States and persons.