scholarly journals An Introduction: International Law as Instrument

2019 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Rebecca Ingber ◽  
Neha Jain ◽  
Rahim Moloo

Discussions of international law often focus on questions of constraint and prohibition. This year's Annual Meeting considered the role of international law as an instrument. Actors on the international stage use a variety of tools to address their concerns, from climate change to economic development; from humanitarian crises to cross-border disputes; from commercial regulation to global trade. Governments and international organizations employ diplomacy and coercion, corporations use negotiation and persuasion, and non-governmental organizations engage in fact-finding and advocacy. And all of these actors affect and are affected by international law and use the international legal system to effectuate change and solve problems.

Virtually every important question of public policy today involves an international organization. From trade to intellectual property to health policy and beyond, governments interact with international organizations (IOs) in almost everything they do. Increasingly, individual citizens are directly affected by the work of IOs. This book gives an overview of the world of IOs today. It emphasizes both the practical aspects of their organization and operation, and the conceptual issues that arise at the junctures between nation-states and international authority, and between law and politics. While the focus is on inter-governmental organizations, the book also encompasses non-governmental organizations and public policy networks. The book first considers the main IOs and the kinds of problems they address. This includes chapters on the organizations that relate to trade, humanitarian aid, peace operations, and more, as well as chapters on the history of IOs. The book then looks at the constituent parts and internal functioning of IOs. The text also addresses the internal management of the organization, and includes chapters on the distribution of decision-making power within the organizations, the structure of their assemblies, the role of Secretaries-General and other heads, budgets and finance, and other elements of complex bureaucracies at the international level.


2013 ◽  
Vol 120 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 25-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linnea I. Laestadius ◽  
Roni A. Neff ◽  
Colleen L. Barry ◽  
Shannon Frattaroli

Author(s):  
Robert McCorquodale

This chapter explores the range of participants involved in international law-making, including corporations, non-State armed groups, and non-governmental organizations, in addition to States and international organizations. The approach taken in this chapter is that of global legal pluralism, which recognizes that there can be multiple actors participating in a legal system to create law, and which accepts disparities in powers. In addition, the chapter indicates that the terminology of ‘subjects’ is deeply problematic in international law and should be abandoned.


Author(s):  
Vrdoljak Ana Filipa ◽  
Francioni Francesco

This chapter provides an introductory overview to the Handbook. It outlines the definition of cultural heritage as covered by the key international instruments covering movable and immovable, tangible and intangible heritage. It outlines the role of key stakeholders including States, the international community, individuals, groups and communities (including Indigenous peoples), and experts and non-governmental organizations. Finally, the structure of the Handbook is explained. It outlines that there are special rules covering cultural heritage in most specialist areas of international law. It signposts how practice relating to cultural heritage is influencing the development of the rules of general public international law. Likewise, it notes that cultural heritage is influencing disputes resolution processes, integral to the interpretation and implementation of these rules. Finally, the role of regional practice in Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa is flagged.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 219
Author(s):  
Rohollah Modaber

In current world, regarding the daily event occur in human communications domain, the process of international problems causes blurring the role of governments and this new situation leads to evolution in common traditional diplomacy of past centuries. Parallel with the communities' evolution, it is evident, new scenarios engender in diplomacy and international relations arena which seek the modern preferences along methods adoption and modern means like using non-governmental players capacity especially NGOs. Regarding the youth role-playing in various countries specially developed onesas a thinking, work and providing ideas forces in institutions, scientific and administrative centers and the YNGOsdevelopment process in the global system along various programs including welfare and philanthropic measures beyond the countries' boundary; and creating active youth global network and developing this network in most youth communities along influence in philanthropic and universal programs in international arena which causes the influence on the minds of different masses of people and even governments and international organizations; new discourse with the title of youth diplomacy as modern diplomacy is created. Therefore, the present study aimed toinvestigate what is the role of youth diplomacy in developing philanthropic discourse and promoting welfare measures in international system by using NGOs. It seems, meanwhile, moving in the way of developing mutual understanding among youth in other countries, who has motivation and concerns to encounter the spread of war, ethnic conflicts, migration, the spread of AIDS, environmental degradation and other similar cases; will be the reason of the creation of the effective youth global network in countries along governments and YNGOs-orientated by unofficial meanshave the approach of achieving a better future in order to achieve the peace and pressure on the governments have the role in promoting violence and extremism.


AJIL Unbound ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
Dinara R. Ziganshina

The fundamental role of international law is to provide a framework for the coexistence of and cooperation among states. If international law and institutions work well, their contribution to the management of international affairs remains in the background. This essay seeks to illuminate the largely unnoticed work of river commissions in preventing and resolving cross-border water disputes. Among the oldest of international organizations, river commissions have long been at the forefront of technical and diplomatic interactions between countries. Similar to other international organizations, river commissions were created to better coordinate interstate interactions and more efficiently pursue common goals. They differ from other international organisations in the focus on water, a unique substance that cuts across so many aspects of human existence and requires specific treatment depending on the hydrological, political, social and economic context. Given the diversity of the contexts, river commissions differ from each other in their design and the tasks assigned to them. Therefore, a river commission is an umbrella term that encompasses a diversity of joint arrangements for cooperation between the riparian countries over their shared waters. This essay argues that river commissions helped to prevent, mitigate, and resolve many cross-border water disputes by building communities over water, enhancing technical knowledge and routinizing organisational transformations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Manal Farouk Sayed Ali

Although there are numerous definitions and theories of the concept of development, many developing countries continue to suffer from problems associated with lack of development and environmental degradation. It seems that states in developing countries are not effectively facing the increasing requirements for development. In response, institutions and organizations of civil society stepped-up to promote the realization of social development and self-reliance among the citizens. In consequence, the past twenty years witnessed the birth of many national and international non-governmental organizations which started to deliver social services to the population. However, and with reference to Egypt, conflicting opinions questioning the relationship between these organizations and the development of civil society have started to emerge. This paper attempts to investigate first the role of these societies in the development of civil society and review the controversy over this role. The attempt will also touch upon and evaluate several studies which relate to the role of these organizations in the development of civil society in Egypt.  


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