![]() Already in his first book, México y el orden internacional (published in English as Mexico and the United Nations), commissioned by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Castañeda challenged his received instructions to focus exclusively on Mexico. He was a member of the International Law Commission (ILC) for almost 20 years (1967–1986), became the first Mexican and one of the first Latin American jurists appointed to the Institut de Droit International in 1965 and taught and researched international law throughout his life.Ĭastañeda’s body of work is marked by a concern for the interests of small powers and the different ways in which international law could be used to promote their cause (or against their interests), particularly in and through international organizations. 8 Castañeda represented Mexico in various capacities before the Organization of American States (OAS) and, for over 30 years, the United Nations (UN), serving as president of the Sixth Committee in 1958. Castañeda joined the Mexican diplomatic service in 1950 and developed a stellar career, which culminated in his appointment as secretary of foreign affairs (1979–1982) by President José López Portillo. 7 This article seeks to build on these efforts by reclaiming the work of Mexican diplomat and jurist Jorge Castañeda (1921–1997) as an insight into the trajectory of international legal thought in the semi-periphery on international organizations. ![]() Recent work has called attention to this theoretical deficit and sought to contribute to the development of the theory of international organizations law by retrieving the contributions to the field made by key figures in its foundational years. 4 While Eurocentrism in international legal scholarship has been the subject of significant analysis and well-deserved critiques, 5 there is an additional reason for the exclusion in this subfield: legal scholars have significantly neglected the task of theorizing international organizations altogether, a job seized by scholars of international relations, political science, economics and other disciplines. 3 Against this background, it might appear surprising that dominant approaches to international organizations law remain largely oblivious to the intellectual histories of legal thought on international organizations in the global South. 2 A crucial driver of these developments has been the resort to history to challenge linear and teleological accounts of international law, often foregrounding the perspectives of actors from the global South. 1 International legal scholarship, in turn, has been defined in recent times by an increased attention to historical and theoretical approaches – often described as constituting a ‘turn to history’ and a ‘turn to theory’ or, indeed, a ‘turn to history and theory’ in international law. ![]() International organizations have played a central role in the modes of action and political projects of international lawyers for at least a century. The article concludes by highlighting the significance of the thought of semi-peripheral jurists for any efforts aimed at re-theorizing international organizations. Third, this article retrieves Castañeda’s defence of the UN General Assembly as a platform for international law-making, contextualizes it within the rise of decolonization and explores the implications for his earlier sceptical views about the expansion of UN powers. ![]() Second, this article studies how Castañeda’s concern for the cause of small powers shaped his views on regionalism, grounding his critique of Pan-Americanism and his vindication of the United Nations (UN) to attenuate the perils of regionalism. First, it shows how, by focusing on the interests of small powers, Castañeda’s work in the 1950s departed from functionalist optimism and stressed the tension between rule by international organizations and domestic rule, emphasizing the centrality of the reserved domain and drawing lessons for strategic legal engagement for small powers. The article considers three interventions made by Castañeda that express this semi-peripheral approach and have lasting relevance. It argues that Castañeda adopted a distinct approach to international organizations law that foregrounds power asymmetries. This article examines the work of Mexican diplomat and jurist Jorge Castañeda as an insight into the trajectory of international legal thought in the semi-periphery on international organizations. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |