The course aims to present a panorama of public international law, which covers principles and rules that govern the relations between States and the latter’s interactions with other international actors. The course is designed to give students a global understanding of the rules governing international relations and, ultimately, provide them with practical skills in legal reasoning and arguing, research and writing on international issues. 

The course will start with an introduction to the international legal order, including a presentation of the specificities of international law as compared to domestic law. It will then focus on core areas of public international law which involve the following questions: Who are the actors in the international legal system and to whomdoes international law apply? How is international law created and where can it be found? What are the fundamental principles of public international law, besides the multitude of international rules, with a special focus on one of them, namely the prohibition of the use of force? Finally, in case of breaches of international rules, how does international law react to such breaches? With a view to give the students a practical perspective there will also be a short introduction to the use of public international law in the domestic law context.