This volume has as its principal concern certain orthodoxies of ""source thinking"" in international law and is aimed at working out the implications of these. It seeks to show how certain theoretical conceptions have shaped the law in action, for good or ill. It should appeal to political theorists, diplomats, global decision-makers and international lawyers who are interested in the question, ""What can we do with the international law that we have?"" as distinct from the question, ""What should we do with international law?"".