US International Lawyers in the Interwar Years

In the interwar years, a group of reform-minded American scholars of international law, such as Quincy Wright and Manley Hudson, challenged traditional international law and strove to establish a 'new' international law in which outlawry of war was institutionalized. They highly valued the Covenant of the League of Nations and the Kellogg–Briand Pact and presented legal arguments in support of them. These scholars were activists in their efforts to promote their views to policy makers and the public. In the US international law community, however, a different group of scholars, notably Edwin Borchard, vehemently opposed the progressive scholars. US International Lawyers in the Interwar Years chronicles those involved in the debate and provides a detailed account of their scholarly works and activities that hitherto have not had the recognition that they deserve.

• Use of unpublished primary sources will appeal to those who are interested in the history of international law and the role of lawyers as social engineers

• Provides examples of how law and politics affect and influence each other and how international norms change over time

• Traces the origins of the Pacific War through legal discussions and debates between the US and Japan, thereby revisiting diplomatic relations and international order in the interwar years from a legal perspective