“The United States Will Need International Law”
A chapter by Gerald L. Neuman, HRP Director and J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International, Foreign, and Comparative Law, titled “The United States Will Need International Law” is featured in the new collection America Unfinished: 250 Years of Law and Governance.
In the wake of rising global authoritarianism and transnational megacorporations, Neuman warns that “As the Republic will once more learn, it needs international law.” He reminds us of the framers’ commitment to foreign diplomacy, citing provisions of the U.S. Constitution that evidence their engagement with the institutions of international law. If the U.S. is to restore its international standing, Neuman also emphasizes that the nation must remember a foundational American principle—that all individuals are created equal—which remains a central norm of human rights law.
Professor Neuman’s chapter is part of a broader, timely reflection on the state of the American republic as it reaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Edited by Professors Alexandra Natapoff and Guy-Uriel Charles, America Unfinished brings together more than fifty legal scholars from the Harvard Law School faculty to examine the American system of government at a moment when the nation is confronting foundational challenges to its laws, institutions of governance, and civic culture. The collection tackles pressing issues ranging from deep political polarization and the expansion of executive power to the disruptions of the technological revolution. Together, these essays advance the vital conversations necessary to sustain a thriving democratic polity for decades to come.
Click here to learn more and purchase America Unfinished: 250 Years of Law and Governance.