20世纪以后，特别是二战结束后的国际法，虽然主体的类型增加了，但国家在国际法主体中的核心地位未被撼动；国家的数量虽然随着非殖民运动而大幅上升，但大国的关键作用依然显著。尽管国际法处理问题的领域扩大，规范数量增多、规范形式多样，但国家安全问题依然是国际法的核心关切。虽然国际法的渊源与运行显示出了法治化的端倪，但是大国政治的痕迹依然明显。由此可知，国际法变的仅仅是外表而非内核，仅仅是形式而非实质，仅仅是量变而非质变。国际法变革与恒常的主导因素是国际关系的总体环境和国家的观念。国际法变与未变的启示是，不可对国际法治和全球治理盲目乐观，任何进步都要通过努力方能达到。国际法的真正法治化还有待于国际社会各行为体长期的努力。
Since the 20th century，especially after the World War II，international law changed in some aspects，but remained unchanged in others. The types of subjects increased，but the status of states as the core subject is still as before. The number of states increased due to decolonization，but the key function of the great powers is still evident. Although the field of international law expanded，more norms are created，forms of norms are various，it is clear that state security is the central problem of international law. The sources and operation of international law reflects the development of international rule of law，but the reality is that power politics is still dominant. To conclude，international law changed superficially，quantitatively，but not the nature，qualitatively. The environment of international relations and notion of states dominate changes and stability of international law. The implications of changes and stability of international law is that international law and global governance could not be highly relied on at the present，any progress needs great efforts. Only when all actors strive hard，it is possible for international rule of law to be realized.
