International Law Flashcards
6 cards from real LLM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 International Law flashcards as text
In international law, which principle provides that a state may exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory?
Answer: Territorial Principle
The territorial principle is the most fundamental basis for state jurisdiction, allowing a state to apply its law to conduct occurring within its borders.
Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, what is the effect of 'jus cogens' norms?
Answer: Any treaty conflicting with a peremptory norm of international law is void
Article 53 of the Vienna Convention provides that a treaty is void if it conflicts with a peremptory norm (jus cogens) from which no derogation is permitted.
What is the primary source of international law according to Article 38 of the ICJ Statute?
Answer: International conventions (treaties)
Article 38(1)(a) of the ICJ Statute lists international conventions establishing rules expressly recognized by contesting states as the first source of international law.
The doctrine of 'sovereign immunity' in international law means that:
Answer: A state cannot generally be sued in the courts of another state without its consent
Sovereign immunity bars foreign courts from exercising jurisdiction over another state in the absence of that state's consent, based on the principle of par in parem non habet imperium.
In the context of international humanitarian law, what is the principle of 'distinction'?
Answer: Parties to armed conflict must distinguish between civilians and combatants and only target combatants
The principle of distinction under the Geneva Conventions requires parties to armed conflict to differentiate civilians from combatants and civilian objects from military objectives at all times.
What is the 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P) doctrine in international law?
Answer: States bear the primary responsibility to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity
R2P holds that states have a primary responsibility to protect their populations from mass atrocities, and if they fail, the international community may act, including through the Security Council.