Page 78 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

UNIT

International Law and the Sea

ust as there are dealings, arrangements, and contracts between people and
J companies, so there are international relations among the different coun-
tries of the world. These relations have evolved over many centuries, during
which time the countries have developed their own culture, language, traditions,
and codes of law. Each nation has always considered its 1110st important objec-
tive the protection of its people and its boundaries against outside threat. Various
countries have devised man)' concepts and policies to assist in this endeavor.
such as isolationism, alliances, diplomacy, and powerful armed forces. They
have worked Ollt commercial and trade agreements to benefit their economies.
They have cooperated to exchange culture and science. They have established the
International Court of lustice and the United Nations as means of settling dis-
putes. And they have gone to war with each other for good reasons and bad, both
to survive and to conquer.
During the course of these events, the nations of the world have developed a
body of rules under which they deal with each other. These rules, and their appli-
cation, are called il/temlltiol/l1lll1l1'. Some of this law is formal, set forth in treaties
and agreements, and some is informal, unwritten yet legally binding because of
tradition and custom. The need for such a body of law has become increasingly
great as the world has become increasingly more complex. Near-instantaneous
communication, rapid travel, and the increasingly interdependent nature of the
world economy all give rise to the need for an effective body of international law.
This unit will provide an overview of international law and the collective
security arrangements that goverllllluch of the present-day relationships among
the sovereign states of the world. It will also discuss the fundamental precepts of
the international law of the sea and the laws of war at sea.