Rule of Law as a Project of International Lawyers

This book considers whether the rule of law could be seen as a shared project and value of public international lawyers. The rule of law is used in various academic disciplines, politics, diplomacy, and legal practice. Restraining the use of power is its core idea, but two more specific understandings of the concept have emerged over time. Under a narrow definition, the rule of law essentially means access to justice as well as transparent legal and administrative procedures. Under a broad definition, the rule of law means commitment to certain substantive values, such as individual freedom and democratic governance. Outside the domestic sphere, the rule of law has been used in transitional justice, human rights and development projects. Legal theorists, in turn, have considered and compared against each other the notions ¿international rule of law¿, ¿rule of international law¿ and ¿global rule of law¿. This engagement suggests that the rule of law is a common ideal holding together the community of international lawyers in our era of increasing fragmentation and specialisation.