Abstract

The paper purports to provide an analytic inquiry on custom in international law. To do so, it offers a preliminary account of two alternative views as to the nature of international law: the normative and the doctrinal view. Then, it analyses the analytical theory of custom, singling out three basic notions of a customary norm. Finally, taking stock of the analytical theory of customary norms, it provides a reconstruction of five notions of customary norm in international law.