Dothan: The Bandwagon of International Law

Shai Dothan (Univ. of Copenhagen - Law) has posted The Bandwagon of International Law. Here's the abstract:

States in the international arena are never acting in splendid isolation. Now more than ever, the actions of every state impact the incentives and shape the behavior of others. A critical aspect of state behavior is compliance with international law. This is also an aspect that is especially sensitive to influence between states. If your enemies are not complying with international law, it is difficult to stay compliant. If your allies respect international law, it is a bad idea to distance yourself from their company by noncompliance. States cascade after their interlocutors and change their practices following their behavior. The challenge that this paper undertakes is how to foster conditions that would allow good cascades toward greater compliance with international law and avoid bad cascades that would draw more states towards non-compliance.