Deze samenvatting is gebaseerd op het studiejaar 2013-2014.

Chapter A The nature and development of international law

The principal actors in international law are nation-states, not individual citizens like in domestic or municipal law. International law is divided into conflict of law, private international law and public international law. The latter is usually termed ‘international law’. Public international law covers relations between states in all their forms, and regulates the operations of the many international institutions. It may be universal or general, binding upon all states, or regional, binding upon a select group of states.

International law has no legislature. There is no system of courts operating outside the situation when both parties agree and recognize the concerned Court. International law is constituted in a very different manner than domestic law. Also, there is no unified system of sanctions in international law, but there are circumstances in which the use of force is regarded as justified and legal. Within the United Nations, the Security Council can impose sanctions upon the determination of a threat to the peace, a breach of the peace or an act of aggression. Such sanctions may be economic or military. Another justification of the use of force is in the case of self-defense, but it is bound to rules provided by international law. It is important to realize that states do feel the need to obey the rules of international law, because if they do not act accordingly, the system of international law ceases to... Interested? Read the instructions below in order to read the full content of this page.