The Basics of International Law (Qatar Version)

International law regulates the rules governing the relations between states among themselves or those to which international organizations are a party. A state must satisfy statehood criteria and other requirements in order for it to be considered as a subject of international law. In addition to states, intergovernmental organizations emerged as another subject of international law, which allows them, inter-alia, to conclude treaties and exchange diplomatic missions with states. International legal rules are mainly derived from sources such as customary law and treaties, in addition to other secondary sources such as principles of justice and equity, general principles of law, court rulings, international jurisprudence, and others. International custom is the traditional source of international law. It is represented in the progression of international behavior in a specific pattern accompanied by a sense of its obligation, that is, as a basis for a right or an obligation guaranteed by law. On the other hand, treaties are governed by the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which regulates treaty provisions from its making, through the principles guiding reservations and interpretation, to terminating or suspending them. Both treaties and norms regulate topics that concern the international community such as humanitarian law, human rights, diplomatic immunities, treaty law, state responsibility and settlement of disputes.