International Law & Institutions

Catalog description

This lecture course examines the role that international law and institutions play in international relations. The course begins by exploring broad theoretical questions - questions about why states create international law and international institutions; how states design institutions; the impact that institutional design may have on the effectiveness of international institutions; and the conditions under which states are likely to comply with the rules set out by international institutions and the dictates of international law. Specific topics include collective security institutions such as the League of Nations, the United Nations, and NATO; human rights law; the laws of war; international intervention and peacekeeping; international justice and the International Criminal Court; environmental law; international trade law and the World Trade Organization; economic development and the World Bank; and international finance and the role of the International Monetary Fund.