Ian Hurd is associate professor of political science at Northwestern University. He is the author of After Anarchy (Princeton) and International Organizations.
Runner-Up for the 2018 Chadwick Alger Prize, International Studies Association's International Organization Section In this insightful book, Hurd argues that international law is actually best understood as a tool of state power--less an externally imposed constraint than a resource that governments employ to authorize and legitimize what they want to do. ---G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs Hurd proposes the compelling argument that law does not just prohibit conduct, but it implicitly permits other conduct, so states will push law to permit the conduct they wish to engage in. . . . A refreshing dose of pragmatism. ---Eleanor Healy-Birt, interLib Essential reading for everyone who engages with international law and international politics. ---Rajeesh Kumar, Rest Journal