International law is made up of international legal norms that regulate the laws of States.
International law is made up of international legal norms that regulate the laws of States . International agreements and treaties, diplomatic notes, amendments and protocols are part of this branch of law .
With regard to the aforementioned international treaties, it is important that we keep in mind that they have to be made in writing as a general rule, although it is true that there are also some that are basically based on what has been a verbal agreement between States.
International law and treaties
In addition to all this we have to emphasize that there are various types of international treaties . Thus, we can classify them based on the subject matter they deal with, their duration, the type of obligations they impose on both parties or the fact that they allow new members to join them. In this way, we would find international political treaties of a fixed duration, law treaties, open treaties, commercial treaties ...
In the same way, we cannot ignore that when carrying out the establishment of an international treaty, it is necessary to complete the following phases: negotiation , the usual adoption of the text, the corresponding authentication and, finally, the provision of consent. This benefit can be in a simplified form or in a solemn form.
International law has different branches.
Some examples
Among the most recent international treaties of greatest value and importance we would highlight, for example, the Pacific Security Treaty dating from 1951 ; the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 ; the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1996 ; or the famous Kyoto Protocol that was signed in 1997 and which revolves around what climate change is.
The norms belonging to international law can be bilateral (between two parties) or multilateral (more than two parties). States usually undertake to apply these standards in their own territories and with a higher status than national standards.
The most remote antecedent of an international law agreement took place in 3,200 BC , when the Chaldean cities of Lagash and Umma agreed to the delimitation of their borders after a war . At a general level, international law has always been focused on preserving peace and avoiding the outbreak of war.
Branches of international law
International law can be divided into public and private. Public international law represents the set of principles that regulate the legal relations of States among themselves. Individuals, therefore, are not immediate subjects of its norms.
Private international law , for its part, has as its main objective the resolution of conflicts of international jurisdiction. It is responsible for defining the applicable law and determining the legal status of foreigners.
Another branch of international law is international humanitarian law . In this case, these are the rules that, in times of war, protect civilians who are not part of the conflict. International humanitarian law attempts to limit the human suffering inherent in armed confrontations.