Issue #47

Abstract: In the first book of his treatise “On the Law of War and Peace,” Hugo Grotius lays the foundations of international law by defining the concepts of war, law, natural and volitional law, and substantiating the need to observe justice even during wars. He distinguishes between natural law (immutable, based on the rational nature of man) and volitional law (human and divine). Grotius analyzes the origin and types of law, dividing law into municipal law and the law of nations, emphasizing that natural law is so unshakable that it cannot be changed even by God. He also examines the question of whether war can be just, and what laws should be observed during military operations.