A public international law syllabus usually begins with the legal architecture of the international system: sources of international law, treaties, States and other international legal persons, jurisdiction, State responsibility, international organizations, and dispute settlement.

The US Venezuela oil deal may give American interests extensive control over production and economic output without transferring ownership of Venezuela’s oil reserves or sovereignty over its natural resources. The legal position depends on the instruments concluded, Venezuelan constitutional law, treaty rules, and the validity of state consent.

Thousands of Greenlandic women and girls were subjected to IUDs and other contraceptive measures under Danish health administration. This article examines whether those practices can meet the Genocide Convention’s Article II(d) definition, focusing on forced birth prevention, genocidal intent, substantiality, and Denmark’s possible international responsibility.

What happens if Russia attacks NATO depends on the nature and gravity of the attack. Article 5 creates a binding duty to assist an ally under attack, but it does not automatically require every NATO member to use military force against Russia.

Ratko Mladić’s final convictions covered genocide at Srebrenica, crimes against humanity, war crimes, the terror campaign against Sarajevo, and the taking of UN personnel as hostages. This article examines the exact findings of the ICTY and IRMCT, including the limits of the genocide conviction and the significance of the 2021 final judgment.

Russia’s warning that British military assets could be targeted over UK support for Ukraine raises difficult questions under the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, state responsibility, and NATO. The key issue is whether British assistance can legally justify Russian force against the United Kingdom.

State succession raises difficult questions about what happens when one State replaces another in responsibility for a territory. This article examines continuity, treaty obligations, property, State debts, nationality, organizational membership, and State responsibility under international law.

State recognition in international law determines how States accept and legally treat contested claims to statehood. This article examines the criteria of statehood, recognition theories, legal effects, non-recognition, withdrawal, UN membership, and cases including Kosovo, Palestine, Taiwan, and Northern Cyprus.

Canada’s 2026 counter-tariffs on U.S. goods raise a difficult legal question: can one alleged trade-law breach justify another? This article examines Canada’s WTO and USMCA obligations, the limits on unilateral retaliation, countermeasures, and the domestic authority supporting the new tariffs.

Somali piracy has returned to the Gulf of Aden in 2026, raising difficult questions about boarding, seizure, territorial waters, universal jurisdiction, detention, and prosecution. This article explains what international law permits states to do against pirates—and where those powers end.

Studying public international law effectively requires more than rereading cases and treaty provisions. This article explains a practical method for organizing the subject, understanding legal doctrines, working with primary authorities, recalling rules accurately, distinguishing related concepts, and testing whether you can apply the law independently.

Learn what to study first in public international law, how the main subjects connect, and how to organize them into a practical eight-week study schedule.

Public international law notes are useful only when they preserve the structure of legal analysis. This article shows how to organize sources, legal status, cases, treaties, key distinctions, and revision methods so that your notes remain accurate and practical for study, exams, and research.

Iran’s claim that participation in U.S. sanctions could amount to an “act of war” raises a narrower legal question under the UN Charter. The article examines whether economic sanctions can constitute a use of force or armed attack, how international law treats third-state participation, and what responses Iran may lawfully take.

Trump’s 50% tariffs on Canada rest on express authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, but domestic authorization does not settle their international legality. The measures raise serious questions under USMCA Article 2.4, GATT Articles I and II, and the security exceptions in both treaty systems.

International Criminal Law governs individual criminal responsibility for crimes under international law. This article explains its sources, historical development, core crimes, modes of liability, ICC jurisdiction, immunities, national prosecutions, and the limits of international criminal justice.