ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a framework for such an exercise. It outlines three chief ways in which politics can inform international law and therefore shape one’s teaching of the law. Law and politics have a particularly close relationship, least in the field of international law, which concerns standards collectively developed by nations with often contrasting visions for a global order. In consideration of this relationship, educators may wish to assume responsibility for guiding students towards an interpretation of the greater political significance of international law. Students might be instructed that it is not only accepted but also expected that they acknowledge political dimensions in their international legal study and thereby explore the practical implications of legal conclusions. The political angle of an international law course may be particularly engaging for students where it involves the strategic concerns of their domestic jurisdiction.
