Abstract
This thesis explores the judicial formation of customary international law and examines how international courts oscillate between interpretive and law-making functions. It analyzes key theoretical frameworks—including Kelsen’s Pure Theory of Law, Dworkin’s Law as Integrity, Kennedy’s radical indeterminacy, and Koskenniemi’s Descending-Ascending Approach—to understand how courts assert and shape customary norms beyond mere state practice and opinio juris. The work concludes that the International Court of Justice and other tribunals increasingly act as de facto lawmakers under the guise of interpretation, advocating the indeterminacy they try to avoid.
School
School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Department
Law Department
Degree Name
LLM in International and Comparative Law
Graduation Date
Fall 2-15-2026
Submission Date
1-28-2026
First Advisor
Jason Beckett
Committee Member 1
Hani Sayed
Committee Member 2
Hedayat Heikal
Extent
60 p.
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Approval has been obtained for this item
Disclosure of AI Use
Other
Other use of AI
Formatting and layout assistance only (spacing, headings, paragraph breaks); no AI text drafting, translation, or data analysis.
Recommended Citation
APA Citation
Tawfik, M. D.
(2026).The Indeterminacy of Customary International Law [Master's Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2709
MLA Citation
Tawfik, Mohamed Diaa. The Indeterminacy of Customary International Law. 2026. American University in Cairo, Master's Thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2709
mohamed_diaa_tawfik_ai.pdf (223 kB)
mohamed_diaa_tawfik_irb.pdf (305 kB)
mohamed_diaa_tawfik_signature.pdf (773 kB)
mohamed_diaa_tawfik_turnitin.pdf (298 kB)
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