Transnational Legality
What should we call law when it is not the law of one or several states? Does it
actually matter what we call law? How can we take into account the consequences of calling
something law when we shape the concept of law in the first place? How does international
arbitration help to illustrate the problem? This book is an investigation into stateless
law, illustrated by international arbitration regimes. It addresses key philosophical
questions posed by international arbitration as a potential path to law beyond the state.
It ascertains which dimensions of transnational legality arbitral regimes conform to, and
what consequences follow from it. The argument of this book is firmly rooted in
contemporary legal positivism and is attentive to current debates regarding the rule of
law to ponder legality without territory. A theory is suggested regarding the minimal
conditions that transnational regimes must fulfil in order to legitimately and
appropriately count as law. The theory is tested on various arbitral regimes. The book
thus offers reflections on the extent to which legality and the rule of law can serve as a
moral and political benchmark for transnational regimes, to assess the political morality
of arbitration's current autonomy from states and what arbitration's claim for an increase
in that autonomy implies.
Introduction ; Prelude ;
1. The Importance of Law ;
2. The Minimal Conditions of Non-State Law ;
3. Arbitration Regimes as Legal Systems ; Conclusion
224 pages, Hardcover