Book Review: The Americanization of International Law and the Strategies of the Islamic Republic of Iran by Seyed Ghasem Zamani

Document Type : Book Review

Authors

1 Department of International law, faculty of law, university of Qom, Iran

2 Faculty Member of the Institution for Research and Development in the Humanities (SAMT)

10.22091/ijicl.2026.16141.1254

Abstract

Is international law truly derived from the domestic legal systems of all members of the international community? Has this legal order not, throughout different historical periods, been shaped by the dominant powers of the day? It is often argued that the foundations of modern international law emerged in Europe following the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648. In the same vein, the writings of European jurists have long maintained that contemporary international law is essentially of European origin. If one accepts that international law is closely intertwined with international politics and power, then it follows that the approaches adopted by dominant States in any given era will inevitably influence the formation and development of international law. Indeed, the great powers of successive periods—including Spain, Britain, and, in the last century, the United States—have frequently employed international law as an instrument for the pursuit of their political and strategic objectives. Whenever this instrument has failed to serve their interests adequately, they have often chosen to circumvent or disregard it. This proposition constitutes the central theme of the book authored by Seyed Ghasem Zamani, Professor of International Law at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Allameh Tabataba’i University.

Keywords

Iranian Journal of International and Comparative Law

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 09 June 2026

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