This collection of essays gathers contributions from leading international lawyers from different countries, generations and angles with the aim of highlighting the multifaceted history of international law. This volume questions and analyses the origins and foundations of the international legal system. A particular attention is devoted to Hugo Grotius as one of the founding fathers of the law of nations. Several contributions further question the positivist tradition initiated by Vattel and endorsed by scholars of the 19th Century. This immersion in the intellectual origins of international law is enriched by an inquiry into the practice of the law of nations, including its main patterns and changing evolution as well as the role of non-western traditions and the impact of colonization.

Le present ouvrage reunit les contributions de juristes internationaux reconnus en vue d'eclairer les multiples facettes de l'histoire du droit international public. L'ouvrage analyse et questionne les origines et les fondements de l'ordre juridique international. Une attention toute particuliere est dediee a Hugo Grotius l'un des peres fondateurs du droit international. D'autres contributions questionnent egalement la tradition positiviste initiee par Vattel et confortee par la doctrine du 19eme siecle. Cette immersion dans les origines doctrinales du systeme juridique international est enrichie par l'etude de la pratique du droit international public, son evolution ainsi que le role des traditions non-occidentales et l'impact de la colonisation.