Introduction; Part I. The Modern Law of Nations: 1. The law of nations of the Moderns: a new discipline; 2. The liberal purpose of the modern law of nations: liberty, equality and security for states; 3. State interests and self-esteem; 4. The modern law of nations between free-enterprise and protectionism; 5. The welfarist purpose of the modern law of nations: the happiness of the people and the advancement of states; 6. Cooperation and assistance to states between liberalism and welfarism; 7. The liberal-welfarist law of nations: a code of good conduct to discipline European states; 8. Goodness, freedom and justice; Conclusion; Part II. Classical International Law: 9. A modern commentator turned classical: the Vattelian moment; 10. The triumph of the liberal purpose of international law; 11. Liberal international law outflanked. A welfarist purpose for the rest of the world; 12. Intellectual and political explanations and justifications for the change; 13. Classical international law in the age of free-enterprise: between free-trade and protectionism; 14. Liberal vision, dogmatic foundation and the appeal of liberalism; 15. Concerns about social and economic inequality. The emergence of a new welfarist purpose; 16. The emergence of concerns for human rights; Conclusion; Part III. Contemporary International Law: 17. Continuities and discontinuities of the classical model; 18. The two liberal purposes of contemporary international law; 19. The dilemmas of the new liberal purpose (I): democracy, human rights and the rule of law; 20. The dilemmas of the new liberal purpose (II): humanitarian interventions, identities and cultures; 21. The status report and general prospects for the new liberal and democratic purpose; 22. The economic liberalism of contemporary international law: between Keynesian objectives and the triumph of free trade; 23. The general advancement of the welfarist purpose: characteristics and difficulties; 24. The specific advancement of the welfarist purpose: Third World(s) and development; Conclusion.