This monograph thinks anew international law as it looks at it through the lens of the international protection of human rights and the values they embody. This approach becomes even more timely in view of contemporary developments in international legal order. For the first time in its history, the International Court of Justice in The Hague is examining the fundamental legal dimensions of significant contemporary crises, including those occurring in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Myanmar. This examination is grounded in major international human rights treaties, while numerous states are actively intervening in the relevant judicial proceedings.

In this context, the book analyses the multifold interplay between general international law and human rights. General international law can influence human rights, at times promoting them and at other times restricting their protective scope, as demonstrated, inter alia, by the application of jurisdictional immunities. Conversely, human rights can also affect general international law, with influences that can be subtle or even revolutionary. The principles of human rights and the values they embody have shaped the sources of international law, impacted institutions related to the state’s external relations, altered the law of the sea, influenced the theory of the ‘subjects’ of international law, informed the concept of international responsibility, affected the system of collective security, and ultimately, transformed the structure and character of the discipline itself.