International Law and Transitional Governance: Critical Perspectives

International Law and Transitional Governance: Critical Perspectives, is a recently published volume on the role of international law in transitional contexts. It was co-edited by UN University - CRIS Associate Research Fellow Micha Wiebusch, and features a chapter co-written by UN University Rector David Malone and UN University - CPR Head of Programmes Adam Day.

How does international law shape and regulate transitional contexts – for example the institutions, policies, and procedures developed to provisionally steer countries through constitutional regime changes spurred by a violent conflict? This volume interrogates the relevance, contribution, and perils of international law for this increasingly widespread phenomenon. It develops a nuanced understanding of the various international legal discourses surrounding conflict – ranging from the history of transnational governance and its standard features, to the difficulties encountered in terms of transnational governments’ legitimacy, right to self-determination, and relations with external (international) actors.

The book’s focus on contextual factors that influence the transitional arrangements, specifically on international aspects such as norms, actors, and related forms of expertise, aims at building a bridge between comparative constitutional law and international legal scholarship in the terrain of transitional governance. In doing so, it represents a precious resource for practitioners and students of international law, diplomacy, mediation, security studies, and international relations.