International Politics Unit 3

Int. Law: war and peace negotiations, principles established. 

Int. Institutions vs. Organizations: institutions: norms, rules, practices, intangible. Organizations: physical entities 

Hugo Grotius: “father of international law” Natural Law: all law derives from principles of justice (ex: murder is wrong) 

Sources of Int. Law: Article 38 of the Statute of the ICJ 

Treaties: binding agreements between states, become international law

Customs: cooperations between states to facilitate trade and travel 

General Principles: sovereign equality, peaceful dispute resolution, human rights, self-determination 

Judicial Decisions: apply international law and are legal precedents used to influence future actions 

History of International Courts: permanent courts of arbitration and international justice came before ICJ and ICC

ICJ vs. ICC: ICC prosecutes individuals, ICJ prosecutes states 

IOs and their history: Congress of Vienna and establishment of UN 

Why do states establish IOs? To address issues that cannot be easily solved individually and establish interdependence

United Nations Charter: foundation treaty of the UN, declares sovereignty and peaceful disputes between member states

United Nations and its organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat

General Assembly (GA): all member states, main policy making 

ECOSOC: Economic and Social Council 

UN Security Council (UNSC): 15 members that maintain international peace and security 

Veto Members (P5) vs. Non-Permanent Members- Veto members = USA, China, France, Russia, UK. Non-permanent 10 are elected, serving 2 year terms. 

Chapter VII: UN can act with aggression when it’s necessary to ensure peace 

Chapter VI and a half: implies that peacemaking is in IR law 

Peacekeeping vs. Peacebuilding vs. Peace Enforcement

Black Hawk Down Incident: marked the end of a US-led military intervention in Somalia 

Human Security: protecting people’s safety, dignity, and human rights 

Responsibility to Protect R2P: a global commitment by the UN to prevent war crimes, genocides