Public International Law is the law of the political system of nation-states. It is a distinct and self-contained system of law, independent of the national systems with which it interacts, and dealing with relations which they do not effectively govern Since there is no overall legislature or law-creating body in the international political system, the rules, principles, and processes of international law must be identified through a variety of sources and mechanisms. This can make international law appear difficult to pin down. Students and scholars in the United States often use the Restatement of the Law (Third), the Foreign Relations of the United States as a guide to identifying international law as applied in the US ALI Restatement 3 rd. Section 101. International Law Defined International law, as used in this Restatement, consists of rules and principles of general application dealing with the conduct of states and of international organizations and with their relations inter se, as well as with some of their relations with persons, whether natural or From the Oxford English Dictionary [International law, the law of nations, under which nations are regarded as individual members of a common polity, bound by a common rule of agreement or custom; opposed to municipal law the rules binding in local jurisdictions Institutions Involved in the process As international law developed in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, it was widely understood that it was a tool for relations between nation-states. Individuals had no role in the process which resolved disputes between states except as representatives of the states, such as diplomats or naval officers. The classic 'player'is the sovereign body of the nation in whatever form it takes for a given state. It can be the President, Prime Minister, King, or Queen, but it is now often the bureaucratic representation of the sovereign power, such as the State Department, the Foreign Ministry, the military, etc. Until the middle of the 20th Century, international law consisted primarily of custom. More recently, customary international law has been increasingly codified While that part of the governmental entity charged with foreign relations will have the lead role in developing international law for the country, in practice each subunit of a government has some ability to create what can be recognized as International Law. In the United States, for example the Executive Branch(acting through the State Department) may sign a treaty, but the President ratifies it with the "advice and consent "of the Senate, and the Congress as a whole may pass laws implementing it In addition, administrative agencies can make and enforce regulations non-treaty related international law as an exercise of their judicial powr y of the above and use implementing the treaty and the statutes, and the courts can interpret ar On the global scale, international organizations such as the United Nations and the EuropeanPublic International Law is the law of the political system of nation-states. It is a distinct and self-contained system of law, independent of the national systems with which it interacts, and dealing with relations which they do not effectively govern. Since there is no overall legislature or law-creating body in the international political system, the rules, principles, and processes of international law must be identified through a variety of sources and mechanisms. This can make international law appear difficult to pin down. Students and scholars in the United States often use the Restatement of the Law (Third), the Foreign Relations of the United States as a guide to identifying international law as applied in the US. ALI Restatement 3 rd , Section 101, International Law Defined "International law, as used in this Restatement, consists of rules and principles of general application dealing with the conduct of states and of international organizations and with their relations inter se, as well as with some of their relations with persons, whether natural or juridical." From the Oxford English Dictionary : "[I]nternational law, the law of nations, under which nations are regarded as individual members of a common polity, bound by a common rule of agreement or custom; opposed to municipal law , the rules binding in local jurisdictions." Institutions Involved in the Process As international law developed in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, it was widely understood that it was a tool for relations between nation-states. Individuals had no role in the process which resolved disputes between states except as representatives of the states, such as diplomats or naval officers. The classic ‘player’ is the sovereign body of the nation in whatever form it takes for a given state. It can be the President, Prime Minister, King, or Queen, but it is now often the bureaucratic representation of the sovereign power, such as the State Department, the Foreign Ministry, the military, etc. Until the middle of the 20th Century, international law consisted primarily of custom. More recently, customary international law has been increasingly codified. While that part of the governmental entity charged with foreign relations will have the lead role in developing international law for the country, in practice each subunit of a government has some ability to create what can be recognized as International Law. In the United States, for example, the Executive Branch (acting through the State Department) may sign a treaty, but the President ratifies it with the "advice and consent" of the Senate, and the Congress as a whole may pass laws implementing it. In addition, administrative agencies can make and enforce regulations implementing the treaty and the statutes, and the courts can interpret any of the above and use non-treaty related international law as an exercise of their judicial power. On the global scale, international organizations such as the United Nations and the European