Constraining or Perpetrating State Violence through International Rule of Law

International law has changed in ways that allow for more control of state-driven evil. International actors now call for a norm of international rule of law. Jurisprudence offers a vague and incomplete definition of rule of law; to that definition must be added social mediation of law. Social mediation requires society; the lack of sufficient international society raises troubling questions at this time about international rule of law. Sterile application of law may be as repressive as arbitrary use of law. Key Words: Rule of law, international law, sovereignty, international society. As demonstrated by numerous papers at this conference, states can use their power for evil. Many evil acts are directed outwards: states commit acts of war, they exploit weaker polities, they destroy the global commons. Many of the most heinous acts of evil, however, are directed inward. Genocide, enslavement, torture, systemic deprivation of hope an