The book describes the development of certain important treaties from the perspective of their
practice with a view to assessing whether these treaties are or have been on the rise or in
decline. Following a glance at major European peace treaties prior to the UN Charter the book
focuses on developments over the last thirty years with respect to the UN Charter and its rules
on the use of force human rights treaties the WTO agreements investment treaties and
environmental treaties. It looks at these treaties from the perspective of an observer as well
as from the perspective of a practitioner who is called to apply a treaty taking into account
the rules of interpretation under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. The book
describes in particular how the International Law Commission has elucidated the significance
of the rules of interpretation in its conclusions on Subsequent agreements and subsequent
practice in relation to the interpretation of treaties (2018) and it connects this work with
the broader developments.
