Mohammad Shahabuddin – författare

This book is the first-ever comprehensive analysis of international law from Global South perspectives with specific reference to Bangladesh.The book not only sheds new light on classical international law concepts, such as statehood, citizenship, and self-determination, but also covers more current issues including Rohingya refugees, climate change, sustainable development, readymade garment workers and crimes against humanity. Written by area specialists, the book explores how international law shaped Bangladesh state practice over the last five decades; how Bangladesh in turn contributed to the development of international law; and the manner in which international law is also used as a hegemonic tool for marginalising less powerful countries like Bangladesh. By analysing stories of an ambivalent relationship between international law and post-colonial states, the book exposes the duality of international law as both a problem-solving tool and as a language of hegemony.Despite its focus on Bangladesh, the book deals with the more general problem of post-colonial states’ problematic relationship with international law and so will be of interest to students and scholars of international law in general, as well as those interested in the Global South and South Asia in particular.

This book is the first-ever comprehensive analysis of international law from Global South perspectives with specific reference to Bangladesh.The book not only sheds new light on classical international law concepts, such as statehood, citizenship, and self-determination, but also covers more current issues including Rohingya refugees, climate change, sustainable development, readymade garment workers and crimes against humanity. Written by area specialists, the book explores how international law shaped Bangladesh state practice over the last five decades; how Bangladesh in turn contributed to the development of international law; and the manner in which international law is also used as a hegemonic tool for marginalising less powerful countries like Bangladesh. By analysing stories of an ambivalent relationship between international law and post-colonial states, the book exposes the duality of international law as both a problem-solving tool and as a language of hegemony.Despite its focus on Bangladesh, the book deals with the more general problem of post-colonial states’ problematic relationship with international law and so will be of interest to students and scholars of international law in general, as well as those interested in the Global South and South Asia in particular.

The book offers an in-depth critical examination of the role of international law in the aftermath of the July Revolution in Bangladesh, and in its future trajectory as contemporary nation.The book discusses how violent crackdowns on student protests and UN-recognised crimes led to a series of cases before the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh and in this regard explores themes such as justice, accountability, and reparation. The book explores the subsequent series of reform initiatives of the interim government, most importantly on constitutional matters. The book examines how the collapse of the Hasina regime has transformed India-Bangladesh-China relations, with far-reaching implications for South Asia and beyond. The book demonstrates that the July Revolution cannot be understood through domestic politics alone as international law was present throughout: in ascertaining the illegality of state violence, in the prosecution of international crimes, in the struggle for reparations, in the politics of minority protection, in the geopolitical recalibration of Bangladesh’s foreign relations, in domestic implications of the military’s participation in UN peacekeeping, in the regulation of the digital sphere, and in debates over development and climate justice.Contributing to wider debates about revolution, state transformation, and the possibilities and limits of international law in postcolonial contexts, the book will be of interest to scholars and postgraduate students interested in Bangladesh and its engagement with international law, regional politics, and post-July developments in particular.

Ethnicity and International Law presents an historical account of the impact of ethnicity on the making of international law. The development of international law since the nineteenth century is characterised by the inherent tension between the liberal and conservative traditions of dealing with what might be termed the 'problem' of ethnicity. The present-day hesitancy of liberal international law to engage with ethnicity in ethnic conflicts and ethnic minorities has its roots in these conflicting philosophical traditions. In international legal studies, both the relevance of ethnicity, and the traditions of understanding it, lie in this fact.

Ethnicity and International Law presents an historical account of the impact of ethnicity on the making of international law. The development of international law since the nineteenth century is characterised by the inherent tension between the liberal and conservative traditions of dealing with what might be termed the 'problem' of ethnicity. The present-day hesitancy of liberal international law to engage with ethnicity in ethnic conflicts and ethnic minorities has its roots in these conflicting philosophical traditions. In international legal studies, both the relevance of ethnicity, and the traditions of understanding it, lie in this fact.

The ideological function of the postcolonial 'national', 'liberal', and 'developmental' state inflicts various forms of marginalisation on minorities, but simultaneously justifies oppression in the name of national unity, equality and non-discrimination, and economic development. International law plays a central role in the ideological making of the postcolonial state in relation to postcolonial boundaries, the liberal-individualist architecture of rights, and the neoliberal economic vision of development. In this process, international law subjugates minority interests and in turn aggravates the problem of ethno-nationalism. Analysing the geneses of ethno-nationalism in postcolonial states, Mohammad Shahabuddin substantiates these arguments with in-depth case studies on the Rohingya and the hill people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, against the historical backdrop of the minority question in Indian nationalist and constitutional discourse. Shahabuddin also proposes alternative international law frameworks for minorities.