Vattel

Emmanuel-Vattel, commonly referred to simply as Vattel (1714–1767), was a Swiss-born jurist and philosopher whose writings helped shape the modern understanding of international law. Born in Neuchâtel, he pursued legal studies and developed a cosmopolitan outlook that informed his later work as a jurist and author.

His best-known work is The Law of Nations (Le droit des gens), published in 1758. In this treatise, Vattel presents a theory of international law grounded in natural law and the customary practices of states. He argues that independent states are morally equal and bound by a universal set of rules governing relations between nations, including conduct during war, the treatment of ambassadors, diplomacy, and the rights of neutral powers. The Law of Nations emphasizes state sovereignty, the obligation to respect the rights of others, and the duty of states to act in good faith in their dealings with foreign peoples and governments.

Vattel’s work became a foundational text in the development of modern international law. It was widely studied and translated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and influenced later legal and political thinkers, including proponents of globalization and the regulation of warfare and diplomacy. His treatment of sovereignty, neutrality, and the moral dimensions of interstate relations contributed to shaping diplomatic practice and the structure of international law, even as later critics challenged some of his premises about state power and natural law.

Vattel remains a central figure in discussions of the historical foundations of international law and the law of nations.