The concept of international legal policy of the state as a new twist in the development of sociological approach towards international law

Abstract

This article analyzes the concept of international legal policy of the state as the theory based on the sociological approach towards international law. The article traces the evolution of sociological concept of international law from the “Sociological Foundations of International Law” of Max Huber (1910 ) to such modern concepts such as the theory of interaction. The article examines the core theses of the concept of international legal policy of the state, which contribute to the development of sociological approach. According to this concept, each state implements the international legal policy for the purpose of influencing the content of the created, interpreted and applied international legal norms to legitimize the international legal positions and acts of the state in modern international law. It is suggested that the research of international legal practice of a particular state would allow determining the peculiarities of its national approach towards international law, assessing the implicit importance of its current stance on certain issues, and predicting further steps of international law. The conducted analysis allows systematizing the key provisions of the concept of international legal policy of the state, which did not receive due attention in the Russian legal doctrine. The determined peculiarities do not classify the concept to any particular vector of modern “sociological legal” research. Based on the formed characteristics of the concept, the author outlines prospects for its further development, taking into consideration modern international processes.