Svák Ján, Mareček Lukáš et al.: Medzinárodné právo verejné a úvod do verejného medzinárodného práva [Public International Law and Introduction to Public International Law]

Abstract

In a rapidly changing world, international law often seems to recede into the background, overshadowed by domestic legal disciplines. Students tend to prioritise information that appears to have direct practical applicability, leading to a diminished focus on international law in favour of national legal frameworks. Given the overwhelming influx of information they encounter daily, it is perhaps natural for students to favour subjects they perceive as immediately relevant to practice, a relevance they do not always associate with international law. As a legal framework governing inter-state relations and international obligations, it may appear distant from the routine legal challenges they anticipate encountering in their professional careers. The understanding of peremptory norms, enforcement mechanisms, or the resolution of disputes between states may seem less pertinent, as their practice is unlikely to involve the regular handling of inter-state conflicts.

The perspective on the current state of international law is exemplified by the broad publication under review. The distinctiveness of this textbook is evident from the very beginning, which does not include merely a preface, acknowledgments, or an introduction preceding the main content. Instead, it begins with an "introduction to the introduction," explaining the intent to offer an unconventional approach to educating young legal professionals in international law. The aim is to present this expansive and omnipresent discipline as a clear and practical benefit, extending beyond the confines of academic study and serving as a unifying thread among various branches of law, civil, labour law, criminal law, commercial law and number of others, by emphasising the centrality of the individual as the ultimate recipient of all international legal norms. This focus on the individual, including legal professionals themselves, whether graduates or students for whom this publication is primarily intended as a resource for the courses International Public Law I and International Public Law II, underscores the need for a broader outlook. A lawyer, even after completing seminars on international law, should comprehend the extensive and pervasive reach of this discipline. They must, crucially, be equipped to address diverse and complex legal issues, many of which intersect with international law, at least through domestic legal norms that invariably reflect international legal principles to some extent and, even more concretely, in the respect for fundamental human rights.