Breaking two myths at once? The advantages and limitations of critical historiographies of international law

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With her book War, States, and International Order. Alberico Gentili and the Foundational Myth of the Laws of War Claire Vergerio attests to the importance of countering flawed historical narratives with scholarly diligence aligned with a critical eye toward a seemingly inevitable, “natural” status quo. This commentary tries to show how Vergerio is determined to break actually two myths at once. It argues that she is doing a great job in breaking up one myth, not yet the other.