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A Normative Theory of International Law Based on New Natural Law Theory A Normative Theory of International Law Based on New Natural Law Theory Mark Searl A thesis submitted to the Department of Law of the London School of Economics for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy London, September 2014 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 76, 039 words. 2 Abstract This thesis articulates a normative theory of international law based on new natural law theory. New natural law theory is a theory of ethics, politics, and law that is based on the classical natural law doctrine of Thomas Aquinas. The primary reference point of the thesis in relation to new natural law theory is the work of John Finnis, who in Natural Law and Natural Rights and subsequent writings elaborates the theory in the consideration of fundamental concepts in political philosophy and legal theory. The thesis examines the tenets of new natural law theory regarding the common good, authority, law, justice, human rights, and legal obligation, and uses these to formulate normative claims regarding the moral purpose of international law and the moral standards that international law should satisfy in light of its purpose. The thesis posits the existence of an ‘international common good’, encompassing a set of supranational conditions that are instrumental to human welfare and that require international cooperation for their realisation. The thesis claims that the primary moral purpose of international authority and international law is to further the international common good through resolving the coordination problems of the international community of states. Identifying ‘principles of justice’ for international law, the thesis asserts that positive international law should promote and demonstrate respect for human rights, and should also promote and protect the international common good. The thesis further argues that states have a general moral obligation to obey international law, based primarily on the necessity of state compliance with international laws in order to facilitate the effectiveness of such laws in promoting the international common good. These claims are elaborated with reference to existing features of international law, and through comparison with existing normative and non-normative perspectives in international legal theory on the concepts considered. 3 Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude to my doctoral supervisors at the London School of Economics, Dr. Emmanuel Melissaris and Dr. Stephen Humphreys, for their guidance, active engagement, and considerable patience, factors that were invaluable aids in bringing this thesis to fruition. I also wish to thank Professor Neil Duxbury and Professor Dr. Florian Hoffmann for the direction and support they provided during the early stages of my research. I am extremely grateful to my family for their support and prayers throughout my journey of writing this thesis, and for their overall role in my formation. I dedicate this thesis to my parents: my deceased mother, Shirley Searl; my deceased father, William Searl; and my father, Neville Linton. 4 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................. 8 I. Objective .............................................................................................................. 8 II. Background ......................................................................................................... 8 1. An Overview of New Natural Law Theory ..................................................... 8 Ethical Theory ........................................................................................... 11 Political Philosophy and Legal Theory: The Work of Finnis .................... 15 Contribution of New Natural Law Theory to Contemporary Ethical and Legal Theory ....................................................................................... 19 2. Natural Law Theory and Normative Scholarship in International Legal Theory ............................................................................................................ 22 III. Description of the Thesis ................................................................................. 29 Chapter 2: New Natural Law Theory and the Idea of the Common Good In International Law ................................................................................................ 36 I. The Common Good in Contemporary International Discourse ......................... 39 II. The Conception of the Common Good in New Natural Law Theory .............. 44 1. Finnis’s Description of the Common Good ................................................... 45 2. Criticisms of Finnis’s Description of the Common Good…………………. 51 3. ‘Instrumentalist’ versus ‘Aggregative’ Conceptions of the Common Good ............................................................................................................... 56 4. Significance of the Common Good in New Natural Law Theory ................. 60 III. Applying the New Natural Law Conception of the Common Good to the Global Sphere ......................................................................................................... 64 1. Universal Human Community and International Community ....................... 64 2. The Universal Common Good and the International Common Good ........... 69 3. The International Common Good as the Basis of Normativity in International Law ........................................................................................... 73 IV. Significance of the New Natural Law Conception of the Common Good as Applied to the Global Sphere ............................................................................. 74 1. Relevance for Understanding Contemporary International Discourse .......... 74 2. Significance for International Legal Theory .................................................. 77 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 79 5 Chapter 3: Authority and Law in the International Sphere ................................ 81 I. The New Natural Law Conception of Authority and Law ................................. 82 1. Authority ........................................................................................................ 82 2. Law ................................................................................................................ 85 3. Relationship Between Natural Law and Positive Law................................... 87 II. A New Natural Law Account of Authority and Law in the International Sphere ..................................................................................................................... 89 1. International Authority and the International Common Good ....................... 90 2. International Law as Salient Coordinator for the International Common Good ............................................................................................... 93 3. Natural Law Principles as Higher Law in the International Sphere ............ 101 III. New Natural Law Theory and Existing Thought in International Legal Theory Regarding Authority and Law ................................................................. 106 1. The Consent Theory of International Law ................................................... 107 2. Razian ‘Service Conception’ of Legal Authority Applied to International Law ......................................................................................... 110 IV. Implications of the New Natural Law Account of International Authority and International Law ........................................................................................... 115 1. The Establishment and Form of International Authority ............................. 115 2. International Custom and the Development of the International Legal Order……………………………………………………………………….119 3. Peremptory Norms (jus cogens) ................................................................... 124 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 129 Chapter 4: Justice, Human Rights, and International Law ............................... 131 I. The New Natural Law Conception of Justice and Human Rights ................... 133 1. Justice ........................................................................................................... 133 2. Human Rights .............................................................................................. 137 II. Identifying Principles of Justice for International Law Based on New Natural Law Theory ............................................................................................. 142 Principle 1. Respect for and promotion of human rights should be the primary principle informing the content of positive international law ............. 143 Principle 2. Positive international law should be consistent with the objective of promoting and protecting the international common good ........... 148 The Principles of Justice as Supreme
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