World Order Foundations
The principle that gives a state supreme authority within its territory and independence from external control.
What is state sovereignty?
This UN organ has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
What is the United Nations Security Council?
This court prosecutes individuals—not states—for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.
What is the International Criminal Court?
This rule requires parties to an armed conflict to distinguish civilians and civilian objects from combatants and military objectives.
What is the principle of distinction?
UNOCI was the UN peacekeeping operation in this West African state.
What is Côte d’Ivoire?
This article of the UN Charter generally prohibits the threat or use of force against another state's territorial integrity or political independence.
What is Article 2(4)?
Unlike a treaty, this source of international law develops from widespread and consistent state practice accepted as legally required.
What is customary international law?
Negotiation, mediation, arbitration and judicial settlement are examples of this Chapter VI approach to conflict.
What is the peaceful settlement of disputes?
This principal judicial organ of the UN settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions.
What is the International Court of Justice?
R2P applies to these four mass-atrocity crimes.
What are genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity?
This mission protected civilians, supported elections and assisted disarmament before completing its mandate in 2017.
What is the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)?
This article, common to all four Geneva Conventions, provides minimum humanitarian protections in non-international armed conflicts.
What is Common Article 3?
Article 38(1) of this instrument directs the ICJ to apply conventions, custom, general principles and subsidiary sources.
What is the Statute of the International Court of Justice?
Under Article 41 of the UN Charter, these Chapter VII measures may include economic sanctions and severing diplomatic relations but do not involve armed force.
What are non-military enforcement measures?
Name the three pillars of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
What are non-proliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy and nuclear disarmament?
Name the three pillars used to implement the Responsibility to Protect.
What are state responsibility, international assistance and capacity-building, and timely and decisive collective response?
The 2016 South China Sea Award was legally significant but only partly effective for this reason.
It clarified the law, but China rejected the ruling and compliance could not be effectively enforced.
This article of the Rome Statute lists war crimes within the ICC's jurisdiction.
What is Article 8?
Australia may ratify a treaty internationally, but this further step is generally needed before its obligations become enforceable in Australian domestic law.
What is implementation or incorporation through legislation?
Name all five permanent Security Council members able to veto a substantive resolution.
Who are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States?
This 2016 UNCLOS arbitration found no legal basis for Chinese historic rights beyond the maritime entitlements allowed by UNCLOS.
What is the South China Sea Arbitration: Philippines v China?
This 2011 Security Council resolution authorised ‘all necessary measures’ to protect civilians in Libya and established a no-fly zone.
What is UN Security Council Resolution 1973?
This treaty, which entered into force in 2021, is the first global agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons.
What is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?
This NGO coalition won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for drawing attention to the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and helping achieve the TPNW.
What is the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)?
State X refuses the jurisdiction of an international court, despite strong allegations against it. This structural feature of international law is the main barrier to adjudication.
What is state consent arising from sovereignty?
When the Security Council is deadlocked, General Assembly Resolution 377(V) provides this procedure for recommending collective measures.
What is Uniting for Peace?
China's rejection of the binding 2016 South China Sea Award demonstrates this major limitation of international courts and tribunals.
What is reliance on state compliance and the lack of a central enforcement mechanism?
A commander attacks a genuine military objective, knowing the expected incidental civilian harm would be excessive compared with the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. This IHL rule is breached.
What is the principle of proportionality?
This article of the NPT requires parties to pursue good-faith negotiations on nuclear disarmament and a treaty on general and complete disarmament.
What is Article VI?
In this 1996 advisory opinion, the ICJ found nuclear threat or use generally contrary to international law but could not decide definitively in an extreme self-defence situation involving a state's survival.
What is Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons?