HUMR 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: International Humanitarian Law, Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, United Nations Charter
Document Summary
Historical background: human rights are almost universally accepted in this day and age. International acknowledgment of human rights is a recent development. Takes form in the aftermath of wwii. The westphalian model: established 1648, the treaty of westphalia . Ended the religious wars in europe: basic principle: idea of state sovereignty. Each state exercises a monopoly of power over its own territory and its population. Each state has jurisdiction over its internal affairs as well as responsibility for its external affairs: hobbes: one of the architects of this idea. The state of nature exists at the international level: 2 key principles of international law, the principle of non-interference. States recognize each other"s sovereignty; they cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another state: states are the primary actors in international relations. The primary subject of international law is the state. Deals with the rights and freedoms of states, not of individuals. The treatment of non-combatants in situations of war.