World Order and International Law Review

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the terminology, legal instruments, and organizations involved in maintaining world order, including peacekeeping, international courts, and specific case studies mentioned in the lecture.

World order

The activities and relationships between states and key actors occurring within a legal, political, and economic framework to promote peace, stability, and cooperation.

State Sovereignty

A nation-state’s legal power and authority over everything that occurs within its territorial boundaries, granting exclusive control without external interference.

Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

The historic agreement that largely established the principle of state sovereignty and the concept of multilateralism.

Multilateralism

Cooperation between multiple states for mutual benefit, which often necessitates a partial surrender of sovereignty to address common challenges.

United Nations (UN)

The principal international organisation tasked with maintaining global peace and security, governed by its foundational treaty, the UN Charter.

Security Council

The UN body with primary responsibility for international peace; it consists of five permanent members with veto power and can authorise collective military action or sanctions.

General Assembly

The main deliberative body of the UN representing all 193 member states equally, where each state has one vote to pass non-binding resolutions.

Peacekeeping (Chapter VI)

The deployment of neutral, lightly armed forces with host state consent to monitor ceasefires and protect civilians using force only in self-defense.

Peace Enforcement (Chapter VII)

The authorisation of military force by the Security Council without host state consent to restore international peace and security.

UNTAET

The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (1999-2002), a successful peacebuilding operation that guided the nation to independence.

INTERFET

The International Force East Timor, a multinational force led by Australia under UNSCR 1264 in 1999 that successfully restored order through peace enforcement.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The principal judicial organ of the UN that settles legal disputes between states and provides non-binding advisory opinions.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

The world's first permanent international criminal court established to prosecute individuals (not states) for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Rome Statute

The legal framework adopted in 1998 (entered into force in 2002) that established the International Criminal Court.

Complementarity Principle

The legal rule (Art. 17 of the Rome Statute) stating the ICC only acts when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute.

ICTY

An ad hoc tribunal established by UNSCR 827 to prosecute individuals for serious violations of international humanitarian law during the Yugoslav Wars.

Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs)

Organisations formed by treaties between sovereign states (e.g., NATO, EU, African Union) to facilitate cooperation on shared challenges.

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)

Independent organisations like Amnesty International or the ICRC that document human rights abuses and lobby governments without being constrained by political interests.

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

A principle establishing that states must protect populations from mass atrocities, and if they fail, the international community must respond collectively.

Geneva Conventions (1949)

The foundational treaties of International Humanitarian Law that protect wounded soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians during hostilities.

UNSCR 1593 (2005)

The UN Security Council resolution that referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

An international agreement designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons; notable for North Korea's withdrawal in 2003.

Genocide Convention

A landmark treaty that criminalizes genocide and obligates state parties to prevent and punish the crime, though it is considered ambiguous regarding specific actions.

External Affairs Power

The power under s51(xxix) of the Australian Constitution that enables the Commonwealth to legislate in response to international treaty obligations.

Dualist System

A legal system, like Australia's, where international treaties must be incorporated into domestic law by Parliament to have a legal effect.