Litigious Uses of International Treaties to Determine Racial Status and Its Consequences in Vichy France

Authors

• Richard H. Weisberg, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawFollow

Publication Date

1998

Journal

American Society of International Law Proceedings

Abstract

The article examines how international legal texts have been interpreted and misapplied historically, highlighting their role in exclusion, persecution, and the manipulation of legal frameworks. It illustrates this through three case studies: the colonial roots of international law, the use of treaties in Vichy France to determine racial status, and the misinterpretation of the Berne Convention by pirates. These examples demonstrate how legal texts can be weaponized to justify oppression and violate human rights, emphasizing the need for ethical interpretation and robust legal frameworks.

Volume

92

First Page

375

Last Page

375

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Disciplines

Comparative and Foreign Law | Law | Legal History

Comments

The Challenge of Non-State Actors: Reading International Legal Texts

Recommended Citation

Richard H. Weisberg, Litigious Uses of International Treaties to Determine Racial Status and Its Consequences in Vichy France, 92 Am. Soc'y Int'l L. Proc. 375 (1998).
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/faculty-articles/1277