Introduction

This article has the purpose of offering some preliminary thoughts on whether the principle of protecting legitimate expectations, as it is known in some domestic legal systems, is also recognised in public international law. References to a concept of 'legitimate expectations' can be found in a variety of different contexts in public international law, such as the sources of international law, the doctrine of estoppel, and aspects of the law of treaties. For instance, in his study of power and the formation of international law, Professor Michael Byers devoted an entire ...