Boundaries of the International

“Illuminat[es] the ways in which international law was an artifact of empire, a system for organizing the world so as to perpetuate Western dominance.”—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs

“In this masterful study, Jennifer Pitts examines universalist claims about the law of nations alongside rising European global power, uncovering a set of linked contradictions within eighteenth- and nineteenth-century political thought. A tour de force of interpretation and historical analysis, this subtle and persuasive book places the problem of empire at the very center of the history of international law—where it will now surely stay.”—Lauren Benton, Vanderbilt University

“An outstanding history of international law and its entanglement with empire from one of the leading historians of political thought in the world today.”—Andrew Fitzmaurice, University of Sydney

“Boundaries of the International adds much nuance to existing literature, and challenges some of the past analytics through which the history of international legal thought has been written. A first-class book by a recognized leader in the field of history of international political and legal thought.”—Martti Koskenniemi, University of Helsinki