The Netherlands Yearbook of International Law (NYIL) was first published
in 1970. It offers a forum for the publication of scholarly articles of
a more general nature in the area of public international law including
the law of the European Union. With this volume on 'Legal Equality and
the International Rule of Law', the Netherlands Yearbook of
International Law celebrates Pieter Kooijmans' academic, diplomatic, and
judicial career by picking up on an important subject in his early
writings, the principle of legal equality of states. This volume studies
if and how the principle of legal equality of states is still important
in the international legal order of the early 21st century. In
particular, this volume examines the principle's current relevance,
e.g., in a pluralistic legal order, its relation to hegemony in
international relations and international law, and how it functions in
contemporary international organisations. The principle is further
explored in the fields of international criminal law, international
humanitarian law, and the international law of sovereign immunity.