The Italian Yearbook of International Law aims at making accessible to the English speaking public the Italian contribution to the practice and literature of international law. Volume XVIII (2008) marks the tenth anniversary of the New Series of the IYIL. The Volume is organised in three sections. The first is thematically structured around a main topic and a series of doctrinal contributions on relevant and topical issues of international law. The feature theme of this volume is controversial territorial situations and the role of recognition and secession. The articles by Gioia and Tancredi bring valuable insights and intellectual rigour in this debate, while the piece by Serra examines the related issue of the legal consequences of the continued presence of the international civil administration in Kosovo. The other main articles provide innovative perspectives on two important issues: the status of private military companies in the law of armed conflicts (Sossai) and the recurring question of the treatment of WTO law by the European Community Courts (Gattinara).

Doctrinal contributions also include a variety of notes covering timely topics such as the role of IAEA in the fight against nuclear terrorism, the controversial return by Italy of cultural treasures to Libya, and the choice of forum in human rights adjudication. The usual surveys on the activities of the ICJ, the ILC, the ECtHR, ICSID, international criminal justice, and the Italian practice occupy the rest of this section.

The second section covers the Italian practice in the areas of i) judicial decisions; ii) diplomatic and parliamentary practice; iii) treaty practice; and iv) national legislation. The third section contains a systematic bibliographical index of Italian literature in the field of international law and reviews of recent books. The volume ends with an analytical index for ready consultation that includes the main judicial cases and legal instruments cited throughout the Yearbook.