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THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
LESSON 25
THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
What is International Law?
International laws are rules which relate to the functioning of individuals, institutions and states in the
international arena. International law has various ingredients including general principles of law and justice,
which are equally suited to regulating the conduct of individuals, organizations within a state and states
themselves.
Evolution of International Law
Formulation of international law can be traced back to the third and fourth millenniums B.C. Early rulers
had made international rules to safeguard emissaries, initiation and cessation of hostilities and arrangement
of truces, and maritime laws.
To aid governance, the Romans devised principles of just gentrium or law of the people. By the time the
Roman Empire fell, application of these laws was widely accepted.
European states also contributed to international laws at a later stage in history. By the 14th century, scholars
were writing about international law. Hugo Grotius, for example, produced a momentous work on laws
concerning war and peace, emphasizing the independent nature of law.
During the eighteenth century, three prominent schools of thought concerning international law were
evident; the positivists, the naturalists and the Grotians.
The naturalists believed in upholding morality through laws. The positivists focused on practicalities and the
consensual nature of these laws. The Grotians combined both naturalists and positivist elements.
In the past century, the League and the UN system, and subsequently the International Court of Justice
have made important contributions to international law. Other institutions like IMF or WTO influence laws
concerning trade economic laws.
Different Types of International Law
Private and Public Laws: private law concerns individuals, whereas public law concerns the behavior of
organizations and even states.
Procedural and Substantive Laws: Procedural laws define types of permitted behavior whereas substantive laws
concern territorial rights of states.
Laws of War and Peace: There are laws governing behavior of states in a state of war (concerning rights of
prisoners of war) and those meant to prevent outbreak of violence and promote peace.
Particular and General Laws: General or universal laws are applicable to all sovereign states, whereas particular
laws are defined by bilateral or regional agreements.
Relevant Vocabulary
Maritime: concerning the sea and its navigation
Bilateral: between two parties
Momentous: major or significant
Consensual: seeking agreement
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 11 in `"A Study of International Relations" by Dr. Sultan Khan
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which
provide useful and interesting information:
Foreign and International Law
www.washlaw.edu/forint/forintmain.html
Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
  2. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR
  3. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Traditional Approach
  4. THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM:Further Evolution of Nation-State
  5. THE NATION STATE SYSTEM: BASIC FEATURES OF A NATION-STATE
  6. NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest
  7. NATIONAL INTEREST:Variations in National Interest, Relevant Vocabulary
  8. BALANCE OF POWER (BOP):BoP from a historical perspective
  9. BALANCE OF POWER (CONTINUED):Degree of Polarization, Functions of BoP
  10. DIPLOMACY:How Diplomacy Functions, Traditional Versus Modern Diplomacy
  11. DIPLOMACY (CONTINUED):Diplomatic Procedures & Practices, Functions of Diplomacy
  12. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Judging Colonization
  13. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Types of Neo-Colonialism
  14. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Objectives of Imperialism
  15. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Criticism of IEO, NIEO Activities
  16. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Prerequisites for the NIEO
  17. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Origin of NAM, NAM’s Institutional Structure
  18. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT (CONTINUED):Cairo Summit, Egypt - 1964
  19. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Criticism of NAM, NAM and Pakistan
  20. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON
  21. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan
  22. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):End of the Cold War
  23. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament
  24. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL (CONTINUED):Other Disarmament Efforts
  25. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  26. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CONTINUED)
  27. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:Need for IGOs, Categorizing IGOs
  28. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):United Nations, Criticism of the UN
  29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):European Union, World Bank
  30. THE ROLE OF DECISION MAKING IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  31. DECISION MAKING (CONTINUED):Rational Actor Model, Group Politics Model
  32. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IR:Underlying Assumptions, Elements of the System
  33. SYSTEMS BASED APPROACH (CONTINUED) – DISTINCT SYSTEMS IN IR
  34. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY:Neoliberalism
  35. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (CONTINUED):Liberalism vs. Social Democracy
  36. INTEGRATION IN IR:Preconditions for Integration, Assessing Integration
  37. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS:Advocates of Globalization
  38. THE GLOBAL DIVIDE:World Social Forum, Can the Global Divide Be Bridged?
  39. FOCUS ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTS:Pro-poor Foreign Investments
  40. CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Components of a Conflict
  41. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Creative response, Appropriate assertiveness
  42. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Global Concern for the Environment
  43. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Environmental Concerns and IR, Some Other Issues
  44. HOW IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC POLITICS?:Strategies for altering state behavior
  45. CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell