In this month's Policy Review, Peter Berkowitz goes through the pros and cons of international law. It's a bit of a pox-on-both-houses approach, but I think that's the right one here. "Liberal internationalists exaggerate the power of universal principles and forget or suppress the limitations on the ability of individuals and states to set aside self-interest." Yep. But also: "Meanwhile, liberal nationalists exaggerate the role of self-interest and forget or suppress the universalizing pressure of liberalism's internal logic."