Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction / David Armstrong -- Pt. 1. The nature of international law. Ch. 1. International law and international relations scholarship / Robert J. Beck -- Ch. 2. International law and international community / Andreas Paulus -- Ch. 3. Legal theory and international law / Friedrich Kratochwil -- Ch. 4. Soft law / Dinah Shelton -- Ch. 5. The practice of international law / Anthony Carty -- Ch. 6. International law as a unitary system / Anthony D’Amato -- Pt. 2. The evolution of international law -- Ch. 7. International law in the ancient world / David Bederman -- Ch. 8. The age of Grotius / Edward Keene -- Ch. 9. The legacy of the nineteenth century / Martti Koskenniemi -- Ch. 10. Latin American international law / Liliana Obregón -- Ch. 11. Religion and international law: an analytical survey of the relationship / Mashood Baderin -- Ch. 12. The struggle for an international constitutional order / Marc Weller -- Ch. 13. Law and force in the 21st century / Gerry Simpson -- Ch. 14. The nature of US engagement with international law: making sense of apparent inconsistencies / Shirley Scott -- Ch. 15. The Iraq war and international law / Wayne Sandholtz -- Ch. 16. The international criminal court / Beth Simmons and Allison Danner -- Pt. 4. Key issues in international law -- Ch. 17. Fidelity to constitutional democracy and to the rule of international law /
Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell -- Ch. 18. International crimes / William Schabas -- Ch. 19. Challenges of the "New Terrorism" / John Murphy -- Ch. 20. Law and legitimacy: the World Trade Organization / Amrita Narlikar -- Ch. 21. Attainments, eclipses and disciplinary renewal in international human rights law: a critical overview / Obiora Chinedu Okafor -- Ch. 22. The colonial origins of intellectual property regimes in African states / Ikechi Mgbeoji -- Ch. 23. Indigenous rights claims in international law: self-determination, culture and development / Karen Engle -- Ch. 24. International refugee law: dominant and emerging approaches / Helene Lambert -- Ch. 25. Sustainable development in international law / Marie-Claire Cordonnier Segger -- Ch. 26. WTO law and sustainable development / Markus W. Gehring -- Ch. 27. Looking ahead: international law's main challenges / Andrea Bianchi.

The Routledge Handbook of International Law provides a definitive global survey of the interaction of international politics and international law. Each chapter is written by a leading expert and provides a state of the art overview of the most significant areas within the field.

This highly topical collection of specially commissioned papers from both established authorities and rising stars is split into four key sections:
- The Nature of International Law including the interaction between the disciplines of International Law and International Relations
- The Evolution of International Law progressing from the ancient world to present day
- Law and Power in International Society discussing topical issues such as the war in Iraq and the international criminal court
- Key Issues in International Law including international refugee law, indigenous rights, intellectual property, trade and the challenges presented by "new terrorism".