"Law of Nations" redirects here. For the 18th-century political treatise, see The Law of Nations.
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes norms for states across a broad range of domains, including war and diplomacy, economic relations, and human rights. International law differs from state-based domestic legal systems in that it is primarily, though not exclusively, applicable to states, rather than to individuals, and operates largely through consent, since there is no universally accepted authority to enforce it upon sovereign states. States may choose to not abide by international law, and even to breach a treaty but such violations, particularly of peremptory norms, can be met with disapproval by others and in some cases coercive action ranging from diplomatic and economic sanctions to war.
With origins tracing back to antiquity, states have a long history of negotiating interstate agreements. An initial framework was conceptualised by the Ancient Romans and this idea of ius gentium has been used by various academics to establish the modern concept of international law. The sources of international law include international custom (general state practice accepted as law), treaties, and general principles of law recognised by most national legal systems. Although international law may also be reflected in international comity—the practices adopted by states to maintain good relations and mutual recognition—such traditions are not legally binding. The relationship and interaction between a national legal system and international law is complex and variable. National law may become international law when treaties permit national jurisdiction to supranational tribunals such as the European Court of Human Rights or the International Criminal Court. Treaties such as the Geneva Conventions require national law to conform to treaty provisions. National laws or constitutions may also provide for the implementation or integration of international legal obligations into domestic law.
Internationallaw (also known as public internationallaw and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding...
International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (jus in bello). It is...
Customary internationallaw is an aspect of internationallaw involving the principle of custom. Along with general principles of law and treaties, custom...
International criminal law (ICL) is a body of public internationallaw designed to prohibit certain categories of conduct commonly viewed as serious atrocities...
Internationallaw, also known as "law of nations", refers to the body of rules which regulate the conduct of sovereign states in their relations with...
International trade law includes the appropriate rules and customs for handling trade between countries. However, it is also used in legal writings as...
European Union Internationallaw can refer to three things: public internationallaw, private internationallaw or conflict of laws and the law of supranational...
International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of internationallaw designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a...
International labour law is the body of rules spanning public and private internationallaw which concern the rights and duties of employees, employers...
The InternationalLaw Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify internationallaw. It is composed of 34 individuals...
Conflict of laws (also called private internationallaw) is the set of rules or laws a jurisdiction applies to a case, transaction, or other occurrence...
The history of internationallaw examines the evolution and development of public internationallaw in both state practice and conceptual understanding...
International Commercial Law is a body of legal rules, conventions, treaties, domestic legislation and commercial customs or usages, that governs international...
A binding agreement between actors in internationallaw is known as a treaty. Contract law, the field of the law of obligations concerned with contracts...
The status of cannabis in internationallaw is a century-old history. Cannabis reform at the international level refers, in the 20th century, to efforts...
consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private internationallaw governing the relationships between private parties operating or using...
Law of the sea is a body of internationallaw governing the rights and duties of states in maritime environments. It concerns matters such as navigational...
Third World approaches to internationallaw (TWAIL) is a critical school of international legal scholarship and an intellectual and political movement...
The law of war is the component of internationallaw that regulates the conditions for initiating war (jus ad bellum) and the conduct of hostilities (jus...
Statute was the first to list sources of law it would draw upon, which in turn became sources of internationallaw Judges were more representative of the...
prevailing international opinion hold that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are a violation of internationallaw, including...
International piracy law is internationallaw that is meant to protect against piracy. Throughout history and legal precedents, pirates have been defined...
Customary internationallaw, like international treaty law, is recognized as a primary source of public internationallaw. While international treaties...
the relationship between internationallaw and domestic law. Monism and dualism both offer approaches to how internationallaw comes into effect within...
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment...
governed by internationallaw and possesses its own legal personality, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, International Union for...
Space law is the body of law governing space-related activities, encompassing both international and domestic agreements, rules, and principles. Parameters...
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