Enzo Cannizzaro

Enzo Cannizzaro is full professor of International Law and European Union Law at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. He has been visiting professor at a number of prestigious academic institutions in the United States and in Europe, including the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; l’Université Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne, l’université Paris 2, Panthéon-Assas; l’Université Paul Cezanne, Aix-Marseille.

He is co-editor of European Papers – A Journal of Law and Integration; former co-editor of the Rivista di diritto internazionale; former member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Journal of International Law;  member of the steering committees of  Il diritto dell’Unione europea and of Diritti umani e diritto internazionale.

His academic work mainly focuses on general aspects of international Law and European Union law and he has written extensively in both fields. Among his publications, there are the books: La proporzionalità nell’ordinamento internazionale, Giuffré editore; International Law as Law of the European Union, Martinus Nijhoff (ed); The Present and Future of Jus Cogens (ed), Sapienza University Press; The Law of Treaties Beyond the Vienna Convention (ed), Oxford University Press; Il diritto dell’integrazione europea, Giappichelli editore; Diritto internazionale, Giappichelli editore; Customary International Law on the Use of Force: A Methodological Approach, Martinus Nijoff, La sovranità oltre lo Stato, Il Mulino. For a complete bibliography, please, refer to his personal website www.cannizzaro-sapienza.eu.

Contact: ec5315@nyu.edu

Research Project

The Transformation of General International Law. The project focuses on the process of change of GIL and on its capacity to keep the law at pace with the evolving needs of the international community. International law is frequently referred to as a living organism. Yet, no serious attempt was endeavoured to identify the mechanism of this evolutionary process. Behind this gap there may be the well-rooted belief that the development of GIL is governed by the same process through which GIL is created and determined. The development of customary law requires the formation of new custom; the development of general principles requires the formation a new principle. The project posits the need to change this logic. It focuses on the process of development of GIL on the basis of internal dynamics and interactions among its multiple rules. To project is divided into four parts. In the first part it aims to demonstrate that the classical doctrine of GIL is chiefly inappropriate to explain its process of change. In the second, a collection and classification of the international practice will demonstrate that this process is mainly grounded on interactions among general rules and their underlying set of interests and values. In the third, a conceptualization of the collected practice will identify the main classes of situations in which GIL evolves. In the fourth, the systemic implications of the research results will be explored. Some expected outcomes may be outlined: first, a change of vision of GIL, from a bunch of isolated rules to a full-fledged system of law; second, a change in role, from a backward-looking to a forward-looking body of law, perennially magmatic; third a change of its mission, from an instrument securing the coexistence of States to one promoting the collective values and interests of mankind.