"Generally perceived as a means to organize relations between nations, international law could also become a critical lens in understanding the nature and function of the world order. A number of researchers have worked in this area, unearthing its paradoxes and discursive terrains through a range of issues like globalization, environment, human rights, and investment laws. With contributions by established as well as promising scholars across the globe, this work explores the numerous issues that currently confront international law. The essays deliberate on both theories of international law and issues of interpretation. Three main streams representing critical international law have been identified. While Postrealism discusses international law and international politics, Postcolonialism grapples with the understanding of international vis-à-vis decolonized countries informed by sociology, philosophy, and history. Transnationalism displaces states as the primary makers of international law to include non-state actors in global governance. Discernment is an essential element in legal studies; in this light the present volume raises more questions than it answers, but attempts to evaluate problems from multiple perspectives"--Unedited summary from book jacket.