The United Kingdom and International Law: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities

Brexit, international conflicts, and the migrant crisis are among recent events that have tested the UK’s relationship with international law. These, alongside the UK’s structural approach to international law at the national and devolved levels, have revealed a complex and evolving relationship with international law that has manifested itself in many forms, ranging from the rhetoric of ‘global Britain’ to withdrawal from international treaties. Against this backdrop, this collection brings together experts in academia, legal practice, and policymaking to interrogate the UK’s multi-dimensional relationship with international law. Its aim is to generate reflection on this relationship by placing these dimensions in dialogue with each other. More precisely, it distils this relationship into two lenses and three themes that define the ways in which the United Kingdom interacts with international law. The two lenses capture the UK’s bi-directional, or internal and external, relationship with international law, while the three themes focus on specific aspects of the UK’s role in relation to international law, namely, the UK’s role as a receiver, shaper, and actor obliged to comply with international law. This collection is a must-read for academics, lawyers, students, and policymakers alike.