Legal Subjects of Public International Law

Non classé

The conflict between international law and national sovereignty is the subject of fierce debate and dispute in the fields of science, diplomacy and politics. Admittedly, there is a growing tendency to judge national action in the light of international law and standards. Many people today regard the nation-state as the primary unit of international affairs, believing that only states can choose to voluntarily enter into obligations under international law, and that they have the right to follow their own advice when it comes to interpreting their obligations. Some academics and political leaders believe that these modern developments endanger nation-states by taking power away from state governments and ceding them to international bodies such as the UN. and the World Bank argue that international law has evolved to the point where it exists separately from the mere consent of States, recognizing a legislative and judicial process on international law that corresponds to those processes in national law. This occurs especially when states violate or deviate from the expected norms of behavior observed by all civilized nations. The « Uniting for Peace » resolution was launched by the United States in 1950, shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, to circumvent possible Soviet vetoes in the Security Council. The legal role of the resolution is clear, as the General Assembly cannot adopt binding resolutions or codify laws. The « Seven United Powers », which introduced the draft resolution [49] during the relevant discussions, never maintained that it conferred new powers on the Assembly.

Instead, they argued that the resolution simply explained what the Assembly`s powers were already under the Charter of the United Nations in the event of an impasse in the Security Council. [50] [51] [52] [53] The Soviet Union was the only permanent member of the Security Council to vote against the interpretation of the Charter recommended by the Assembly`s adoption of Resolution 377 A. As an « advisory, political and representative body », the United Nations General Assembly is « empowered to make recommendations »; It cannot codify international law or make binding decisions. [47] [48] Only internal resolutions, such as budgetary matters, can bind the functioning of the General Assembly itself. Violations of the Charter of the United Nations by members of the United Nations may be debated by the injured State in the General Assembly. In addition to the natural tendency of a State to abide by certain norms, the power of international law derives from the pressure that States exert on each other to behave consistently and comply with their obligations. As in any legal system, many violations of international obligations are neglected. If dealt with, it can be through diplomacy and consequences for the reputation of a offending state, submission to international judicial decisions,[42][43] arbitration,[44] sanctions,[45] or violence, including war. [46] While violations may indeed be common, states try to avoid giving the impression of having ignored international obligations. States may also unilaterally impose sanctions against each other, such as: severance of economic or diplomatic relations or countermeasures. In some cases, national courts may render a judgement against a foreign State (the field of private international law) for breach, although this is a complex area of law where international law overlaps with domestic law. « If legislation is the enactment of laws by a person or assembly that binds the whole community, there is no international law.

Because contracts only bind those who sign them. In contrast, positivist writers such as Richard Zouche (1590-1661) in England and Cornelis van Bynkershoek (1673-1743) in the Netherlands argued that international law should be derived from actual state practice rather than from Christian or Greco-Roman sources. The study of international law has moved away from its fundamental preoccupation with martial law and has moved towards areas such as the law of the sea and trade treaties. The positivist school used the new scientific method and, in this respect, was in line with the empiricist and inductive approach to philosophy that prevailed in Europe at the time. But on the other hand, international law has negative aspects, as does international law sometimes. If there is no international law and each country has its own law regarding international conflicts, then it will be a really difficult situation to deal with each other and finally arrive at a single decision that everyone agrees with. But everything has positive and negative aspects, so international law should be changed in the future instead of abolishing it. At the same time, in the Islamic world, foreign relations were divided into three categories on the basis of the division of the world: dar al-Islam (territory of Islam), where Islamic law prevailed; Dar al-Sulh (treaty territory), non-Islamic empires that have signed a truce with a Muslim government; and Dar al-Harb (war zone), non-Islamic countries whose leaders are called upon to embrace Islam. [16] [17] Under the beginning of the seventh-century caliphate, Islamic legal principles on military conduct and the treatment of prisoners of war served as a precursor to modern international humanitarian law.

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