INTERNATIONAL LAW
UNIT 1 - COMPLETE EXAM NOTES
Simple Language | Detailed Explanations | Exam Ready
,1. DEFINITION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
International Law is the set of rules, agreements, and treaties that are legally binding between countries
(called 'States'). It governs how countries interact with each other, how they treat people, and how
international organisations operate.
SIMPLE International Law = Rules that countries must follow when dealing with each other.
MEANING Just like citizens follow national law, countries follow international law when dealing
with other countries.
Classic Definitions
• Jeremy Bentham (1780): First coined the term 'International Law'.
• Oppenheim: 'International Law is the body of rules which are legally binding on states in their
intercourse with each other.'
• Starke: 'A body of law composed of principles and rules of conduct which states feel themselves
bound to observe.'
Nature of International Law
• It is a 'law' because it creates binding obligations on states.
• BUT it lacks a world government, world police, or a mandatory court - unlike domestic law.
• It relies heavily on consent, diplomacy, and mutual self-interest for enforcement.
• Some scholars (like Austin) denied it is 'real law' because of lack of enforcement - but most
accept it is law because states generally obey it.
2. EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
International Law developed over centuries through wars, treaties, and growing needs of countries to
cooperate peacefully.
Stage 1: Ancient Period (Before 1600 AD)
• Ancient civilisations had inter-state rules long before modern international law.
• Ancient India: Kautilya's Arthashastra had rules on diplomacy and war.
• Ancient Greece: Rules for war, ambassadors, and treaties between city-states.
• Rome: Jus Gentium ('law of peoples') - applied to foreigners in Rome.
• Treaty between Egypt and Hittites (1279 BC) - one of the earliest known treaties.
Stage 2: Foundation Era (1600-1815)
• Hugo Grotius (1583-1645): Called the FATHER OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.
, ◦ His book 'De Jure Belli ac Pacis' (On the Law of War and Peace, 1625) laid the foundation.
◦ Distinguished between Just War and Unjust War.
◦ Argued for 'Mare Liberum' - freedom of the seas.
• Peace of Westphalia (1648): Ended the Thirty Years' War. Established the KEY CONCEPT of
state sovereignty - each state is supreme within its own territory. This is the birth of the modern
international system.
Stage 3: Classical Period (1815-1918)
• Congress of Vienna (1815): After Napoleonic Wars - European powers created rules for
diplomacy and balance of power.
• Geneva Convention (1864): Rules for humane treatment of wounded soldiers - beginning of
International Humanitarian Law.
• Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907): Rules for warfare, use of weapons, and peaceful
settlement of disputes.
Stage 4: League of Nations Era (1919-1939)
• After World War I, the League of Nations was established (1919) - first major international
organisation.
• Attempted to prevent wars through collective security - but failed because USA did not join and
the League had no real enforcement power.
• Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928): Countries agreed to renounce war as a tool of foreign policy.
Stage 5: United Nations Era (1945-Present)
• After World War II, the United Nations (UN) was created in 1945 to maintain international peace
and security.
• The UN Charter became the cornerstone of modern international law.
• Many major conventions followed: Geneva Conventions (1949), Vienna Convention on Law of
Treaties (1969), UNCLOS (1982), etc.
• International Criminal Court (ICC) established in 2002 to try individuals for war crimes,
genocide, and crimes against humanity.
EXAM TIP Remember key milestones: Grotius (1625) -> Westphalia (1648) -> Vienna
Congress (1815) -> Hague (1899/1907) -> League of Nations (1919) -> UN Charter
(1945) -> ICC (2002)
UNIT 1 - COMPLETE EXAM NOTES
Simple Language | Detailed Explanations | Exam Ready
,1. DEFINITION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
International Law is the set of rules, agreements, and treaties that are legally binding between countries
(called 'States'). It governs how countries interact with each other, how they treat people, and how
international organisations operate.
SIMPLE International Law = Rules that countries must follow when dealing with each other.
MEANING Just like citizens follow national law, countries follow international law when dealing
with other countries.
Classic Definitions
• Jeremy Bentham (1780): First coined the term 'International Law'.
• Oppenheim: 'International Law is the body of rules which are legally binding on states in their
intercourse with each other.'
• Starke: 'A body of law composed of principles and rules of conduct which states feel themselves
bound to observe.'
Nature of International Law
• It is a 'law' because it creates binding obligations on states.
• BUT it lacks a world government, world police, or a mandatory court - unlike domestic law.
• It relies heavily on consent, diplomacy, and mutual self-interest for enforcement.
• Some scholars (like Austin) denied it is 'real law' because of lack of enforcement - but most
accept it is law because states generally obey it.
2. EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
International Law developed over centuries through wars, treaties, and growing needs of countries to
cooperate peacefully.
Stage 1: Ancient Period (Before 1600 AD)
• Ancient civilisations had inter-state rules long before modern international law.
• Ancient India: Kautilya's Arthashastra had rules on diplomacy and war.
• Ancient Greece: Rules for war, ambassadors, and treaties between city-states.
• Rome: Jus Gentium ('law of peoples') - applied to foreigners in Rome.
• Treaty between Egypt and Hittites (1279 BC) - one of the earliest known treaties.
Stage 2: Foundation Era (1600-1815)
• Hugo Grotius (1583-1645): Called the FATHER OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.
, ◦ His book 'De Jure Belli ac Pacis' (On the Law of War and Peace, 1625) laid the foundation.
◦ Distinguished between Just War and Unjust War.
◦ Argued for 'Mare Liberum' - freedom of the seas.
• Peace of Westphalia (1648): Ended the Thirty Years' War. Established the KEY CONCEPT of
state sovereignty - each state is supreme within its own territory. This is the birth of the modern
international system.
Stage 3: Classical Period (1815-1918)
• Congress of Vienna (1815): After Napoleonic Wars - European powers created rules for
diplomacy and balance of power.
• Geneva Convention (1864): Rules for humane treatment of wounded soldiers - beginning of
International Humanitarian Law.
• Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907): Rules for warfare, use of weapons, and peaceful
settlement of disputes.
Stage 4: League of Nations Era (1919-1939)
• After World War I, the League of Nations was established (1919) - first major international
organisation.
• Attempted to prevent wars through collective security - but failed because USA did not join and
the League had no real enforcement power.
• Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928): Countries agreed to renounce war as a tool of foreign policy.
Stage 5: United Nations Era (1945-Present)
• After World War II, the United Nations (UN) was created in 1945 to maintain international peace
and security.
• The UN Charter became the cornerstone of modern international law.
• Many major conventions followed: Geneva Conventions (1949), Vienna Convention on Law of
Treaties (1969), UNCLOS (1982), etc.
• International Criminal Court (ICC) established in 2002 to try individuals for war crimes,
genocide, and crimes against humanity.
EXAM TIP Remember key milestones: Grotius (1625) -> Westphalia (1648) -> Vienna
Congress (1815) -> Hague (1899/1907) -> League of Nations (1919) -> UN Charter
(1945) -> ICC (2002)
