Incidents: An Essay in Method

Abstract

In studying incidents for the purpose of monitoring the genesis, modification, and termination of international norms, there are advantages to having a broadly homogeneous approach. While creative efforts in the genre need not conform to rigid specifications, certain general features would seem indispensable to a systematic study. The pieces included in this volume approach the study of incidents in a comparable fashion: each identifies the problem to be covered and its legal importance, presents a detailed account of the facts of the incident and the claims brought by the participants, analyzes how a complex and frequently unorganized decision process resolved the incident, and finally, appraises the international legal significance and implications of the incident.