Interest in international law has increased greatly over the past decade largely because of its central place in discussions such as the Iraq War & Guantanamo the World Trade Organisation the anti-capitalist movement the Kyoto Convention on climate change & the apparent failure of the international system to deal with the situations in Palestine & Darfur & the plights of refugees & illegal immigrants around the world This Very Short Introduction explains what international law is what its role in international society is & how it operates Vaughan Lowe examines what international law can & cannot do & what it is & what it isn't doing to make the world a better place Focussing on the problems the world faces Lowe uses terrorism environmental change poverty & international violence to demonstrate the theories & practice of international law & how the principles can be used for international co-operation