Mr. Aldunate
Introduction to International Law
Domestic law provides rules for conduct, systems to enact, amend and repeal laws, mechanisms for the resolution of disputes, and substantive and procedural law to help guide and enforce decisions. Our legislative, executive, and judicial branches provide the framework for these functions. All of these evolved over time within the structure of a nation.
To apply these ideas outside a nation, that is, between nations, is a relatively new idea and thus lack the sophisticated and time tested framework found in successful countries.
Mostly, these international mechanisms for conflict resolution, the passing of laws, etc, rely upon the idea of consent and are constrained by the concept of state sovereignty.
Thus international law can be seen as a mass of agreements among nations that decide to be parties to these agreements. Moreover, there is no international force to “police” nations that breach agreements they have signed, and international courts are limited in their jurisdictions.
The closest thing to a world law-making body is the United Nations most but it too is limited in its capabilities to make and enforce international law.
The concept of international law begins with our understanding of state sovereignty.
State sovereignty :
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Idea of exclusive jurisdiction over a territory of a national state was developed between the ___________________
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Meant that the state could exclude
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Concept protected land recently partitioned off in the race to colonize the world
Thus for centuries international law was mostly about_______________________________________
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The atrocities of Word War II led to relatively new ideas on international law
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International community found itself ill equipped to punish those responsible for the atrocities. They were finally able to organized themselves to ___________________________________and create the law that underlay the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals.
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international human rights and the treatment of refugees and internally displaced persons
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the desire by nation states for a body to resolve international disputes in a peaceful manner, and for an international body to promote the collective security of humanity. o the mechanism developed, ____________________
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State sovereignty slowly accepted the need for international law later in the 20 th
C for other reasons as well.
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Advances in technology esp. __________________________________________
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International travel and immigration increased
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People had several _________________, _________ and ___________ ties that needed an international frame work within which to operate
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International commercial enterprises flourished-the activities of these new multinational corporations had to be regulated. In return corporations demanded
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New technologies such as ____________________________________________
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Wide range of human activity needed to be regulated on an international basis. But to work, international law_______________________________________________. Thus, international compliance is dependent upon the _________________________________
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