Description
Georg Schwarzenberger’s oeuvre has remained significantly underexplored despite his status as an important International Law and International Relations scholar in the twentieth century. Like other classical realists, he was an émigré trained in the legal science of Weimar Germany. He presented the social background of international law in terms of the irreducible hostility between states, was amongst the first to explore the standard of civilisation in international society, and argued for the urgency of laying down generally valid legal standards to articulate the gap between present-day reality and a civilised world community. Schwarzenberger’s theory offers an unflinching account of the weaknesses of international law that transcends the narrow account of realism that has come to dominate International Relations discussions today. This chapter analyses the fundamental aspects of Schwarzenberger’s theory of International Relations. It explores the elements at the heart of Schwarzenberger’s theory of International Relations through a detailed examination of his works, which, though examined infrequently and practically forgotten, retain their relevance today. In doing this, the chapter articulates the different factors at the heart of his analysis of international law and the laws of armed conflict. It highlights the conflicting roles played by power and ethics in international law and society. Finally, this chapter explores Schwarzenberger’s suggested solutions for the problems facing international law and argues for their continued relevance today.
