摘要：International law may not seem to be a viable substit ute for military strength and credible threats of force to secure peace mainly because of two reasons; first, the shadow of military power is an ever present influence over such bargaining processes and second, that the security aspect of the dispute compounds this issue as the leaders will be reluctant to sign any agreement that they believe might decrease the safety of their state or make them appear weak to future adversaries. These and ot her related challenges force the scholars to believe that internat ional law is not a primary explanat ion of state behavior, especially in the high-stakes realm of international security. Nevertheless, political engineers and legal luminaries have sought to explain how international law can be effective under these conditions.
