How Do You Find Sources Of International Law?
• Look to treaties first. Treaties are the main source of international law. Treaties can go by various names, such as international agreements, conventions, protocols etc. but they are in essence the same thing – a written international agreement concluded between two or more countries. • Be careful to ensure that your country has signed and ratified the treaty in question before applying it to your domestic situation. Signature is only an indication of intent by a country to be bound to the treaty. Ratification is the point at which a country accepts its legal obligations under the treaty. Treaties only come into force when a specified number of countries have ratified it. Once in force, however, a treaty serves as a principal source of international law. • Consider custom. Custom comes into play when a country follows a law or legal principle consistently and uniformly in its everyday conduct, so as to indicate “state practice” (conduct). When this occurs, it tells the rest of the i
