International law – what is it?
Well, perhaps it’s best to start with what it’s not.
It’s not… a single, official big book of laws.
And it’s not… enforced by an international police.
And cases are not… heard by a single court.
No, it’s a little more complicated than this.
Instead, it’s a set of agreements and customs that most countries follow, most of the time. These agreements cover the rights and duties of states – about things like war, human rights, trade and diplomacy.
They can be treaties – written agreements that countries sign like a contract.
Or they can be what law calls ‘customs’ – principles and ideas that many already follow.
These agreements only apply to countries, not companies or individuals.
This can get complicated, because some corporations are bigger than countries.
Which means international law has to keep evolving, to fit our changing world.
The story An investigation by the United Nations, called a 'commission of inquiry', has found…
The story A boy who died at the age of 15 has been made a…
The story A major aftershock has hit eastern Afghanistan, just days after an earthquake measuring…
The story A study in Taiwan has found that peoples' biological age increases when they…
The story Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to the White House on Monday to meet…
The story The charity Prostate Cancer UK, says that the UK is treating too many…