International Abbreviations

International law is constituted by the international legal norms that regulate the laws of States. International agreements and treaties, conventions, amendments and protocols form part of this branch of law.

The norms that pertain to international law can be bilateral (between two parties) or multilateral (more than two parties). States undertake to apply these standards in their own territories and with a higher status than national standards.

The earliest antecedent of what is now an agreement under international law took place in the year 3200 BC, when the Chaldean cities of Lagash and Umma agreed to delimit their borders following a war.

However, what is known as “Kadesh” is the most famous treatise of antiquity. This treaty was made between Ramesses II of Egypt and Hattusil III of the Hittites in the thirteenth century BC And just as at that time, the Greeks had as a law strictly followed what should be considered inviolable and what was instituted by the ambassadors, respecting the treaties, among others.

It is also important to mention that the Catholic Church played an important role in the development of international law in the Middle Ages. During this period, international relations had the pope as an arbiter par excellence , having the authority to release the head of state from having to comply with a treaty.

Already in the Modern Age, international law is shaped into the structure we know today. In this period, then, the first concepts of state sovereignty and the State appeared, and they were consolidated by the series of treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia, in the year 1648. It was then that the States began not to recognize anyone above themselves. and where the hierarchy based on religion had been abandoned.

In general, international law has always been careful to preserve peace and has joined efforts to avoid the outbreak of war conflicts.

Still within the concept of international law, there is what is called the “dualist doctrine”, it preaches that the application of an international norm in the internal order of a State occurs only after the so-called theory of incorporation occurs, where this State will transform this norm into a rule of domestic law. According to this theory, two legal orders could never conflict, since they would be totally different.

International law is divided into public and private. Public international law represents the set of principles that regulate the legal relationships of States among themselves. Therefore, individuals are not immediate subjects of its norms.

Private international law, as far as it is concerned, has as its main objective the resolution of conflicts of international jurisdiction. It is up to you to define the applicable law and determine 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 (innocent people, therefore). International humanitarian law seeks to limit and minimize the human suffering inherent in armed conflict.

List of Acronyms Related to International