Historical and political-economic analysis of international law: International law in the context of dependency theory

International law is a distinctive legal discipline, marked by its structural differences from domestic laws and its historical development. Many argue that international law is directly connected to the power relations among the states in the global system. We need a holistic and historical approach to illustrate the theoretical underpinnings of the connection between interstate power relations and international law. Dependency theory's insights into the tension between the core and periphery in the world system, based on the location of production processes offer the opportunity to formulate the complex structure of international law. Thus, the study aims to establish the nexus between international law and production processes/international trade and conduct a historical assessment. In this context, this study's objectives can be outlined as follows: (1) To elucidate the connection between international law and world hegemonies, with a particular emphasis on the historical and social processes shaping international law; (2) To expound on the correlation between international law and capital accumulation through the lens of dependency theory, a significant component of Marxist imperialism theories; (3) To establish a relationship between the present state of international institutions and the transformations instigated by imperialism on a global and regional scale in the 21st century.