Summary International Law Term 1 Consolidated Notes
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Course
International Law
Institution
University Of Cape Town (UCT)
An in-depth summary of the relevant content for International Law Term 1, including the relevant lecture notes and textbook notes, including tips on how to answer questions. I got a first for this course.
International Law Term 1 Consolidated
Notes
Table of Contents
TOPIC 1: BRIEF INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 3
WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL LAW?...............................................................................................................................3
DOMESTIC LAW VS INTERNATIONAL LAW...................................................................................................................3
ENFORCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW....................................................................................................................4
TOPIC 2: SOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW................................................................................................. 5
ARTICLE 38 OF THE ICJ STATUTE AND THE HIERARCHY OF SOURCES................................................................................5
Relationship between Treaties and Customary International Law................................................................6
Ius Cogens.......................................................................................................................................................6
TREATIES..............................................................................................................................................................7
What is a treaty?............................................................................................................................................7
When does a treaty bind a State?..................................................................................................................8
Requirements for a Valid Treaty...................................................................................................................10
Interpretation of Treaties.............................................................................................................................14
Termination of Treaties................................................................................................................................16
Breach of Treaty Obligations........................................................................................................................16
CUSTOMARY INTERNATIONAL LAW..........................................................................................................................16
Overview of Customary International Law...................................................................................................17
State Practice (Usus).....................................................................................................................................17
Opinio Juris...................................................................................................................................................19
Methods of Proving the Existence of Customary International Law............................................................20
Change of Customary International Law......................................................................................................21
Silence, Protest and Acquiescence................................................................................................................22
GENERAL PRINCIPLES............................................................................................................................................22
SUBSIDIARY SOURCES...........................................................................................................................................23
TOPIC 3: SUBJECTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW............................................................................................... 23
OVERVIEW......................................................................................................................................................... 23
STATES.............................................................................................................................................................. 24
States as the Primary Subjects.....................................................................................................................24
Criteria for the Acquisition of Statehood......................................................................................................25
Recognition of States....................................................................................................................................28
NON-STATE ENTITIES............................................................................................................................................30
Types of International Legal Persons............................................................................................................31
International Organisations.........................................................................................................................32
Individuals.....................................................................................................................................................33
Corporations.................................................................................................................................................34
Entities Sui Generis.......................................................................................................................................35
TOPIC 4: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC LAW...................................................36
PART I: HOW DOMESTIC LAW PLAYS A ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL LAW...........................................................................36
Theory of Incorporation (Monism) vs Theory of Transformation (Dualism)................................................36
Overview of the Role of Domestic Law in International Law.......................................................................37
Domestic Law ≠ Justification for Breach of International Obligation...........................................................37
PART II: INTERNATIONAL LAW IN OUR DOMESTIC LAW...............................................................................................38
Overview of the Ways in which International Law is Applied in Domestic Courts.......................................39
Direct Application in SA Courts.....................................................................................................................40
1
, Indirect Application in SA Courts..................................................................................................................46
Key
Purple Case
Green Important rule or a ratio of a case
Orange Treaty, legislation and other legal documents
Red Generally important information
Bold Important concept
Box Important clarification or scaffolding
Blue Example
2
,Topic 1: Brief Introduction
What is international law?
Definition: a set of rules and principles that primarily bind states in their relations with one
another
Importantly, while international law binds states, not individuals, this does not mean
that individuals are not affected (will discuss in topic 3)
The study of international law is important for the following reasons:
o South Africa is a part of the global community and so state activity may
require or benefit from a system of international law
o We must understand what additional laws the state is bound to, outside of
just domestic law
Domestic Law vs International Law
International law is a part of our domestic law as it is incorporated into the
Constitution
o S39 – International law should be considered when interpreting the Bill of
Rights
o S231-233 – Regulate how international law becomes a part of our domestic
law
What are the differences between how these two systems of law operate
o Domestic legal systems
Generally have a vertical, centralised system of authority – rules are
created and enforced from above by the government on natural and
legal persons within the country and individuals do not have the
choice to opt in or out of the law
The sources of domestic law are authoritatively listed in the
Constitution
o The international legal system
Has a horizontal, decentralised system of authority – no central
authority that imposes rules from above and instead states formulate
3
, rules together and these rules are based on express or implied
consent e.g. a treaty which only binds the states that volunteer to be
bound by it by signing it
The sources of international law are authoritatively listed in Article
38(1) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (the ICJ is the
judicial arm of the UN)
Enforcement of International Law
There is no international police force or army that can enforce these laws and instead states
that are victims of breaches of international law have to themselves obtain remedies
When a state violates international law, it incurs “state responsibility” to the state to
whom it owed the obligation that it broke
o The victim state can pursue only civil law claims not criminal law actions
o This legal dispute occurs between states, never between a person and a
state– individuals or companies can’t pursue claims of state responsibility
Court system
o There are International Courts (the biggest = ICJ in the Hague) which can hear
disputes between states and enforce international law in certain
circumstances
Jurisdiction depends on the court – ICJ has jurisdiction over any type
of legal disputes between states in terms of international law whereas
the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism which only has jurisdiction
over disputes between member states of the WTO in terms of WTO
trade obligations
All of the states involved must have consented to the Courts
jurisdiction over the matter
No compulsory jurisdiction of any international courts
The lack of compulsory jurisdiction affects precedent – it means that
only the parties that are subject to a dispute will be bound by the
courts precedent of that matter
No formal systems of precedent in international law
4
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