International law provides shared standards for how states and other international actors interact. This lesson introduces its scope, key terminology, and historical development, showing how practices that began in ancient agreements developed into a modern legal system.
International law, also called public international law or the law of nations, consists of rules, norms, legal customs, and standards that states and other actors generally regard as binding in their mutual relations. It covers areas such as diplomacy, armed conflict, trade, and human rights.
All flashcards
What is international law?
A body of rules, norms, customs, and standards governing relations among states and other international actors.
How do rules and norms differ?
Rules are formal expectations, commonly written down. Norms are often informal guidelines that develop through custom and social practice.
What does private international law address?
It addresses cross-border cases in national courts, including which court has jurisdiction, which law applies, and whether foreign judgments can be recognized.
What is supranational law?
Law made within a system to which states have granted decision-making authority, potentially allowing its rules to take direct effect in member states.
Why is the Peace of Westphalia historically important?
The 1648 settlement is commonly linked to the development of an international order based on independent, sovereign states, though the historical interpretation is debated.
Quiz questions
What does international law principally regulate?Answer: Relations and conduct among states and other international actors.
Which issue is most closely associated with private international law?Answer: Determining which national court or law applies to a case with a foreign element.
Why is the European Union commonly used as an example of supranational law?Answer: Member states have granted common institutions authority to make laws that can take direct effect in member states.
What is a careful way to describe the significance of the Peace of Westphalia?Answer: It is commonly associated with sovereign statehood, although historians debate the extent of the change it represented.
Which two elements are required to establish customary international law?Answer: General state practice and opinio juris.
Based on the Wikipedia article International law, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.