Programming Languages Quiz

A legal framework shared by all members of the international society
It comprises norm-making, norm-ascertainment, and norm-enforcement
It is unique because it lacks a world legislator, centralized judicial system, and a world police force
It is not foreign law, the law of foreign countries, nor the rules for conducting foreign relations
It is not about the conflict of laws
It primarily concerns the relationships between states
States engage in international legal obligations to gain rights and address issues of common interest requiring cooperation
International legal rules regulate the external sovereignty of states, and also the internal sovereignty of states when exercising their sovereignty within their domestic jurisdictions.

Ubi societas, ibi ius: where there is a society there is law. International law is the set of rules that regulate the relationship among the actors of the international society
Ubi ius, ibi constitutio: Where there is law, there is a constitution. Some rules are fundamental concerning the social and political processes they stem from.

Origin of modern international law: Peace of Westphalia 1648
Established a horizontal legal framework where states are the structural units of the international society. (Sovereign equality among states is a basic principle)
Sovereign equality implies a low degree of institutionalization, meaning the international legal order lacks any centralized power/authority, respect to the three functions (law-making, judicial application, and enforcement)
There have been revolutionary attempts to upset the principle of sovereign equality and establish hegemony (e.g., Napoleonic era, socialism, and Nazism)
Developments limiting states' internal and external exercise of sovereignty included the rise of international organizations (or international institutions)
Some rules and principles go back to the 17th century but are not written
International law reflects the horizontal dimension of the international society: law-making is done through agreements; disputes are commonly resolved by States themselves, and the enforcement of the law typically relies on the self-enforcement by states.

Subjects of IL under international law can be the subject of subjective rights and legal obligations
International Court of Justice (ICJ) defines an international legal subject as any subject capable of having subjective rights and legal obligations under international law
Some actors that participate in the life of the international community have a full or partial international legal personality, including states and international organizations. Other actors may bear some rights or duties under international legal rules
The definition of a State under international law often requires a permanent population, defined territory, and a government with the capacity to enter into relations with other states
Preconditions for a state to be considered under IL include the need for a territory, a community with a defined political identity (a population), and effective control and independent sovereign authority (government).

Peoples aren't subjects of IL; however, International law, through the principle of self-determination, regulates relations with them.
Self-determination implies that people within a geographical area should be free to determine the political, and legal, structures under which they function.
The concept is relevant to several situations, including colonies, the Occupying power through acts of force after the Second World War, and racial segregation.
The right of self-determination is not a right to separation unilaterally but implies the need to respect and preserve this right and the need for international cooperation
International legal sources where self-determination is stated include Articles 1 and 55 of the UN Charter together with UN GA declarations.
Cases of self-determination dealt with by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) include: the Namibia, Western Sahara, and East Timor opinions and judgments.

International Organizations (IOs) are subjects of international law, even though they lack the link and attachments to a territory, but derive from the states consent and will to cooperate on a common interest through treaties.
IOs express their autonomy internationally within the life of the international society and are the subject of rights and duties, and thus can be held responsible under IL
IOs can adopt several acts, such as Resolutions, binding or legally-binding, treaties, diplomatic relations, and take action to have their rights respected vis a vis their Members.
An organization must fulfill certain conditions to achieve the status of a specialized agency of the UN, which will be based upon a specific and subjective scope and an aim to fulfill the UN's purposes in a domain where the organization has competence.
IOs can be multilateral or bilateral, universal or regional, closed or open to new members, and for open organizations there are usually conditions for adherence/admission

International Responsibility of States occurs when a State violates its international obligations, and therefore there are specific rules and conditions pertaining to this international wrongfulness
International Law and the legal norms concerning the violation of international obligations by States (IR) result in a secondary legal relationship between the state which committed the violation (or 'wrongdoer') and the corresponding state being the victim, or 'injured State'.
The principle of the international responsibility of states, concerning the duties owed to other states or states, is not new and can be found extensively within many international legal sources such as treaties and customary law.
If a state undertakes an act which is contrary to its international obligations and a violation, then, the state being the wrongdoer, has responsibilities to other states, which includes the obligation to remedy certain conditions, cease the violations and provide adequate compensation to the injured state

A dispute between two or more states arises from disagreements on a set of facts, contrasting legal viewpoints, or opposition in relevant interests.
International law mandates states to resolve their disputes via peaceful means.
Diplomatic means of resolving disputes involve the intervention of a third party ("good offices" or "mediation") with the goal of reaching an agreement between the disputing parties; this includes negotiation, mediation, conciliation, investigation etc.
Adjudicative Means, like arbitration, rely on the consent of the entities involved beforehand. In this mode, the parties agree ahead of time that the decision or judgment of an international judge or panel is legally binding