Introduction to International Law and State Responsibility

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on International Law and State Responsibility.

International Law

A set of rules that apply when actions go beyond the borders of a single country.

Public International Law

Deals with the rights and duties of states and international organizations.

Private International Law

Involves individuals or companies from different states.

Comity

Courtesy between countries, not a legal rule.

Jurisdiction

A court’s power to handle a case and the area where it has authority.

Ratification

Officially approving or confirming something that was done without authority at first.

Doctrine of Incorporation

Customary international law automatically applies unless it conflicts with local law.

Doctrine of Transformation

International law applies only after the local government formally adopts it.

Self-executing treaty

Becomes law automatically when a country agrees to it.

Non-self-executing treaty

Needs the country to pass a new local law first.

Sovereignty

The right to govern a territory, which can be limited by international obligations.

Declaratory doctrine

The legal existence of a state or government happens automatically by operation of law.

Constitutive doctrine

The legal existence of a state or government is dependent on recognition by other states.

Estrada Doctrine

Doctrine that foreign governments will not be explicitly recognized.

Successor states

Bound by dispositive treaties related to boundaries and servitudes.

Merger rule

When a state merges, old treaties still apply.

Denial of Justice

A serious failure in a country’s legal system, blocking access to courts or unfair trials.

Calvo Clause

A foreign investor agrees not to ask their home country for help.

Unilateral Acts

Actions taken by one state that can have legal implications under international law.

UNFCCC

The main treaty for fighting climate change.

Basel Convention

Bans sending toxic waste to countries that cannot safely handle it.

Kyoto Protocol

Requires developed countries to reduce greenhouse gases by 5.2% below 1990 levels.

Restitution in kind

Return of what was taken as a legal remedy.

Compensation

Paying money for damages as a legal remedy.

Legal Remedies

Actions that courts can order to address a legal wrong.

Pollution Regulation

Approaches to control pollution such as sectoral and product-based regulations.

World Charter for Nature

States must respect natural processes and avoid damaging them.