Question

Who is the author of the work Droit des Gens?

• A. Vattel
• B. Samuel Pufendorf
• C. St. Thomas Aquinas
• D. Hegel

Hint:

Vattel's *Droit des Gens* popularized the "state-centric" model of international law, emphasizing that states are the primary subjects of the law of nations, and that they enjoy equal rights regardless of their actual power.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the author of the influential classical treatise on international law titled Droit des Gens (The Law of Nations).

Step 2: Key Legal Principles and Approach:
We must examine the history of legal literature in international law, focusing on the seminal 18th-century work that shaped the modern principles of state sovereignty, independence, and equality.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:

• The Book: Le Droit des Gens; ou, Principes de la Loi Naturelle appliqués à la Conduite et aux Affaires des Nations et des Souverains (The Law of Nations; or, Principles of the Law of Nature Applied to the Conduct and Affairs of Nations and Sovereigns) was published in 1758.

• The Author: The book was written by Emer de Vattel (1714–1767), a Swiss philosopher, diplomat, and legal scholar.

• Significance of Vattel's Work: Vattel's treatise applied natural law principles to international relations in a highly practical and accessible manner.

• He argued that all nation-states are inherently equal and sovereign, comparing them to free and independent individuals living in a state of nature.

• This book became the handbook for diplomats, statesmen, and jurists across Europe and America, heavily influencing the framers of the US Constitution and the developers of modern international law.

• Other listed scholars wrote different works: Samuel Pufendorf wrote De Jure Naturae et Gentium; St. Thomas Aquinas wrote Summa Theologiae; Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel wrote Elements of the Philosophy of Right.

• Therefore, Emer de Vattel is the author of Droit des Gens, making Option (A) the correct answer.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The classical work *Droit des Gens* was written by the Swiss jurist Emer de Vattel in 1758, making Option (A) the correct answer.