Main principles governing the international legal system | LexIcon

welcome to lexicon your visual guide to public international law our topic for today is main principles governing the international legal system so let's begin number one international law state centered so international law regulates the conduct of states as main actors on international scene responsibilities of international organizations and transnational corporations also became quite topical in the last decade however international legal instruments still traditionally address States number two there is no single Authority in international law so in the national legal system on top of the hierarchy you have the president the monarch if you wish or the government in the international legal system there is no such authority this means that the national system is vertical and centralized whereas the international legal system is horizontal and decentralized so there is no central body making law or enforcing law number three international law is based on state consent to define consent is a legal or official permission to do something or an agreement as to action or opinion an international law is based on state consent as there is no single law making or enforcing Authority States need to agree to assume legal obligations number four responsibility is collective so international legal system we speak about individual responsibility a person who commits a crime is then individually responsible fourth in the international legal system will speak about state responsibility which by its nature is collective the whole state is liable as a single legal entity so if the national court or a military general they disregard international law we speak about state responsibility there is also a notion of individual criminal responsibility in international law it is possible for especially in grave violations of international law war crimes crimes of genocide and so on but this is not topic for today number five sovereign equality of states the essence of the rule is that all states have equal rights and duties and are equal members of the international community irrespective of their differences of an economic social political or other nature states have to respect the personality of other states number six non intervention in the internal affairs of another state it means that states do not have the rights to intervene directly or indirectly for any reason whatever in the internal affairs of any other state so the examples would be encouraging overthrow of active government inciting political destabilization financing terrorist activities economic pressure or coercion but still the last one is quite wait because the withdrawal of economic aid is not necessarily a violation per se number seven the use of force is prohibited with very limited exceptions so article two paragraph four of the charter of the United Nations provides that all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations under any exceptions oh yes there are two first one collective action for protection of international peace and security which is governed by Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and second individual or collective self-defense if armed attack occurs article 51 of the UN Charter number 8 preserving peace and respect for human rights is key so the Second World War brought not just a physical destruction of cities and damage to economies but also enormous human suffering and so after war there was an understanding that human life is truly valuable this is also reflected in article 1 of the Nations Charter which provides that the purposes of the United Nations are to maintain international peace and security and to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace and then to achieve international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all that was it for today if you have any questions leave them below and I see you very soon

Channel: LexIcon

Views: 4,147

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Keywords: International Law, Legal system, Principles of Law

Id: a0f0Hwiuek0

Length: 4min 57sec (297 seconds)

Published: Tue May 05 2020