What is international law?

This post is part of a series of background material on international law and answers frequently asked questions about what constitutes international law and sources of international law.

International Law Glossary and Terms

This collection provides some commonly used words encountered in international law and used within this website. Complete definitions and latin translations can be found through the comprehensive reference resources listed to the left.

Sweden, the United Nations, and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

Today, Ambassador Anders LidÃ©n, Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, addressed the general debate about the Responsibility to Protect and Sweden’s role in R2P at a well-attended seminar at the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C. The two discussants included former Ambassador Princeton Lyman with the Council on Foreign Relations and Tod Lindberg with […]

60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Today marks the 60th anniversary celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the foundations of international human rights law. The UN General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Declaration by Resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948. The 30 articles signify the “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations” […]

United Nations Association – USA Annual Meeting

In an address delivered in New York on June 6, United Nations Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown critiqued U.S. policy towards the UN in his speech “Power and Super-Power: Global Leadership in the Twenty-First Century.” The Deputy Secretary challenged the United States to sustain “inside-the-tent diplomacy at the UN” and to drop its attitude […]

Passed the Bar Exam

“The difficult we do at once. The impossible takes a bit longer.” Borrowing this motto from the Seabees, I embarked on studying “at once” after graduation for the bar examination, an examination of essays and multiple choice questions sometimes likened to a multi-day sporting event. I am pleased to report that the hard work and […]

Reforming the Syrian Penal Code: Honor Crimes

At the Syrian National Forum on Honor Crimes, held 14-16 October 2008 in Damascus, Dr. Abboud Al Sarraj, the former Dean of the Damascus Faculty of Law, delivered a speech on the need to reform Article 192 and to repeal Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code because these honor-crimes exemptions are inconsistent with Islamic […]

Iran Parliament Passes Law: President Must Hold a Master’s Degree

The day after Iran’s parliament removed the Minister of the Interior from office for forged academic credentials, it passed a new law to require presidential candidates to hold a master’s degree or its equivalent. The bill passed by a majority vote, with 151 members of the 206 members present voting in favor of it, 31 […]

Iranian Interior Minister Ousted for Fake Law Degree

Iran’s parliament, known as the Malijis of Iran or Islamic Consultative Assembly, impeached Interior Minister Ali Kordan under Article 89 of the Iranian Constitution for forging an honorary doctorate degree in law from Oxford University. The forged Ph.D. diploma, complete with spelling and grammatical errors, was purportedly granted for his “education materials and his research” […]

Jean Monnet Program Grants – EU Law

The European Commission is accepting grant proposals under the Jean Monnet Programme for projects furthering the teaching, research, dispersal of information, and debate on the European integration process. Educational institutions, professors, and researchers from anywhere in the world may apply for a grant. Proposals may include conferences, seminars, roundtables, and meetings, as well as the […]