Introduction: Framework of the Book

Reciprocity appears to be a powerful and strongly motivating force. Intuitively, we all know what reciprocity means. In a community as weakly and as horizontally organized as the international community, with its lack of centralized legislative and enforcement bodies, reciprocity should play a vital role. Therefore, the early twentieth-century scholarship was of the view that reciprocity lies at the root of all international law. In the globalized world, however, where States have cooperated and sought the attainment of common interests, reciprocity seems to be a weakening concept. States have by now developed strong economic, technological and political links, which in turn might have made reciprocity a weaker candidate to be applied between the States and to serve as the basis for international law. The interdependence has meant less reciprocity; scholarship sometimes has deemed reciprocity to represent unwelcome selfishness/egoism that is counter to community interests.