On realistic utopias and other oxymorons: an essay on Antonio Cassese's last book

This article reviews Antonio Cassese' s last book, Realizing Utopia. In doing so, it also reflects on Cassese the man, since the subject of the book - that of idealistic reform tempered by considerations of practicality and realism - can fairly be said to have defined Cassese himself. The article thus not only explores the book that Cassese edited, but also his own views on the nature of change in the international (legal) order, and on the best methods of securing such change. Both in his capacities as a scholar and as a judge Cassese was at times subjected to often withering criticism for breaking with orthodoxy and failing - or refusing - to distinguish between the law as it is and the law as it should be. His own essays in Realizing Utopia thus provide us with an excellent opportunity to explore these themes anew.