INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL LAW
Justice and injustice recognize no national boundaries. As the world becomes more aggressive economically, ethnically, as well as politically, some sort of recognizable international law must exist to settle disputes, calm anger, and mete out fair justice to all, regardless of the size or importance of their native lands. On the following pages, we will; examine five distinct areas of international law, where it has succeeded, where it is failing, and where our class discussions have led us.
TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION (TERRITORIAL QUESTIONS)
"Idealists have long looked to international adjudication as a means for authoritatively and peacefully settling international disputes" (Janis 1999 113). Perhaps the key word in the author's statement is "authoritatively". While the author claims (210) that the UN is already twice as successful as the old League of Nations, the fact that territorial disputes continue to upset the world's balance is of great concern.
Territorial disputes, from Bosnia, Kosovo and Serbia, to the Iraqi claim (the cause of the 1991 Gulf War) that a part of Kuwait belonged, historically, to Iraq; the dispute between Iraq and Iran, the enmity between mainland China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, the dismemberment and territorial claims of the various former Soviet Union states are only the tip of the iceberg, exacerbated, perhaps, by what is the most unsolvable dispute of all: Palestinians vs. Israelis.
All this activity, as well as various incursions that continue in Africa, despite Article 2(4) of the UN Charter: "All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations" (208). However, as our text points out (208) the record of ears since the end of Wo...