Strategic Forum. Number 277. April 2012. Grand Strategy and International Law
Abstract
Grand strategy is, or should be, the calculated relationship of means to large ends. 1 Interrelated strategic and legal dimensions provide a leitmotif to the modern history of relations among powerful states. States employ an array of means to achieve their large ends military power, as well as diplomatic, informational, economic/financial, and legal tools and influence. They differ in effectiveness and precision. In the web of interactions that shape contemporary international relations, the legal dimension as a framework and guide to choices is more often overlooked than particular legal instruments that might be invoked in the belief, or more often the hope, that they will serve policy and strategic objectives. Views of the relevancy and content of international law vary. At one extreme, Dean Acheson famously remarked that law simply does not deal with such questions of ultimate power power that comes close to the sources of sovereignty. 2 At the other end of the spectrum is the view that the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court is the test of the health of international law and legal regimes.3 The truth does not lie in between: whether or not the International Court of Justice is a success and defining success depends on one s perspective (for some, failure would be success) is not a test of the health of international law. As grand strategy deals with subjects that touch the sources of sovereignty, is there can there be a relationship between law, much less international law, and grand strategy? The answer, of course (despite the skeptics), is yes; it is a different yes than advocates of this or that legal or other international institution might intend. At the same time, the nature of the relationship is both complex and straightforward.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA577462
Entities
People
- Nicholas Rostow
Organizations
- National Defense University