习惯国际法存在吗——一个国际法史上的追问

Does Customary International Law Really Exist?--An Inquiry into the History of International Law

“习惯国际法”是法律概念,不是社会现象。16世纪后“万民法”曾指向“各民族共同习惯”,“习惯”以“万民法”为载体进入早期国际法,但古典国际法仅将“习惯”视为一种社会事实,不符合自然法的“习惯”即被严格摒弃。19世纪后实证主义成为法学研究主流,主权同意的具体形式被“类比”国内法称为“实在国际法”,“习惯”被认为是主权默示同意的形式。“习惯国际法”概念出现,是法理论上类推的产物,同时附带合法性自我证成,而非研究国家间交往现象得出的社会科学结论。“习惯国际法”是思辨的历史中产生的抽象概念,不是对历史的思辨中进行的概念抽象;这只是国际法学为国际司法过程创造的裁决规则,不是国家在国际社会中真实形成的行为规则。

Customary international law is a concept of law rather than real social phenomenon.After the 16^(th)century,the Roman term jus gentium referred to the common custom of all nations,and through this,custom entered early international jurisprudence.However,customs were only treated as social facts,and those opposite to law of nature would be totally relinquished.After the 19^(th)century,legal positivism became mainstream in legal science.By analogy to domestic positive law,the forms showing consent of sovereignties were regarded as positive international law.Custom,showing the tacit consent of nations,was upgraded to the modern concept as customary international law.In this sense,customary intemational law was a purely theoretical deduction from its very inception,without analyzing the realities of international community.Customary international law is therefore an abstract concept originated from the history of thoughts,rather a sociological concept abstracted from thinking upon history.And it is the technical creation by international jurisprudence for use in judicial proceedings,rather than the spontaneous creation of rules by nations.