1. Housekeeping Annoucements
Office Hours next week are changed to Wednesday 2-3:30 (drop in)
Assignment reminders
Week of October 16th and Nov 2nd scheduling changes

2. Sources of International Law
the concept of sources, what gives law authority or legitimacy
general consent of states: ways of expressing this
treaties and customary international law

3. Article 38(1) – ICJ Statute
international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing the rules expressly recognized by the contesting States;
international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law;
the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations;
judicial decisions and teachings of the most highly qualified publicists…subsidiary means (Art. 59)
2. power to decide a case ex aequo et bono

4. Treaties
‘…an international agreement concluded between States in written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation.’
treaty, convention, protocol, covenant, charter, statute, act, declaration, concordat, exchange of notes, agreed minute, memorandum of agreement, modus vivendi, or any other appellation
central principle: consent to be bound

5. Treaties: Essential Vocabulary
full powers
signature (authentication, good faith)
ratification (domestic and international, Article 14 of VCLT)
acceptance, approval, accession
reservations, declarations
contracting state
state party
entry into force
deposit
multilateral, bilateral, law-making

6. Treaties: Interpretation
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, articles 31 and 32
Art 31: general rules of interpretation
in good faith and with ordinary meaning, in context and in light of its object and purpose
in addition to the (full) text, the context shall comprise:
agreements relating to the treaty
instruments made in connection with the treaty
also: subsequent agreements, subsequent practice, any relevant rules of international law
special meanings if established

7. Article 32
Recourse may be had to supplementary means of interpretation, including the preparatory work of the treaty (*) and the circumstances of its conclusion, in order to confirm the meaning resulting from the application of Art 31, or to determine the meaning when the interpretation according to Art 31:
leaves the meaning ambiguous or obscure; or
leads to a result which is manifestly absurd or unreasonable.