Addis Ababa University

College of Social Sciences

Department of Political Science and International Relations

MA Program in International Relations & Diplomacy

Second Semester 2019/20 A.Y-April-May 2020)
International Law and Organizations (PSIR 641)
NCR-120 (MWFs-9:00 AM- 12:00 PM)
Instructor: Solomon M.

1. Course description

This course explores major developments in international law and organizations with emphasis on a
period after the formation of the United Nations. It enables course participants audit their knowledge on
the various perspective of international law in the contemporary global context; the sources of
international norms; subject of international law; the concept of jurisdiction; the use of force;
international human rights & humanitarian principles, and the concept of state responsibility and
individual responsibility in international law. It explains the relationship between international law and
international organizations. It examines the concept of international organizations and their capacity
and limitations in the creation of the norms of international law, and international organizations’ role in
the settlement of disputes or ‘conflicts’. Recent developments or emerging issues in these areas will be
explored per the outline of the topics of discussion in this syllabus.

As part of its learning objectives, the course helps students to reflect on the roles of international law
and international organizations in international relations. It enables students to explain the relationship
between international law and organizations, and creates the opportunity to discuss emerging issues
such as terrorism, environmental issues and displacement from the perspective of international law and
organizations. The proceeding of the course involves lecture sessions, presentations, and participation,
individual and group papers. The syllabus outlines the topics that will be addressed, and the list of
reading materials for class presentations and for references.

2. Outline

a. Introduction; discussion on the syllabus; purpose & objectives, outline of topics & activity plan,
evaluation components, reading materials, and writing assignment.

b. International law and international organizations in international relations

 Yasuaki O, 'International Law in and with International Politics: The Functions of International
Law in International Society', European Journal of International Law, Vol 14, No 1 (2003), 105-
108.
http://ejil.oxfordjournals.org/content/14/1/105.full.pdf

 M Koskenniemi, ‘The Fate of International Law. Between Technique and Politics’, Modern Law
Review 1 (2007).
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2230.2006.00624.x/pdf

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 Ige F. Dekker and Ramses A. Wessel, Governance by International Organizations: Rethinking the
Normative Force of International Decisions ( 2001) ( chapter in a publication)
(https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/pa/research/wessel/wessel23.pdf )

c. The concepts of sources & subjects in international law

 Janne E Nijman, et al. “International Law: Beyond ‘The End of the Subject’. Towards a
Reconceptualization of International Legal Personality”. Leiden Journal of International Law
(2007), 20, 25-64
http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0922156506003906

 Andrew Clapham, ‘The Role of the Individual in International Law’, European Journal of
International Law 1 (2010) 1-19.
http://ejil.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/1/25.full.pdf

 Christine Chinkin, ‘Sources’, in D. Moeckli, International Human Rights Law (2010)

 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969)

http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/1_1_1969.pdf

 Statute of the International Court of Justice, Art 38(1):

http://www.icjcij. org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0

d. The concepts of jurisdiction & sovereignty; state responsibility & individual responsibility in Int.
law

 M Koskenniemi, ‘What Use for Sovereignty Today?’, Asian Journal of International Law (2011)
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7978159

 Dapo Akande, ‘International Law Immunities and the International Criminal Court’, The
American Journal of International Law, Vol. 98, No. 3 (Jul., 2004), 407-433
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

 M Sassòli& Y Shany, ‘Should the obligations of states and armed groups under international
humanitarian law really be equal?’ International Review of the Red Cross (2011)
http://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/review/2011/irrc-882-sassoli-shany.pdf

 John Yoo, ‘War, Responsibility, and the Age of Terrorism’, Stanford Law Review (2004)
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=616062&download=yes

e. The use of force, international humanitarian & human rights norms

 Christine Gray, ‘From Unity to Polarization: International Law and the Use of Force against Iraq’,
13 European Journal of International Law 1 (2002) 1-19.
http://ejil.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/1/1.full.pdf+html

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 M Byers, ‘Terrorism, the Use of Force and International Law after September 11’, International
Comparative Law Quarterly (2002) 401-414
http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5575&context=faculty_scholarship

 D Kennedy, ‘Reassessing International Humanitarianism: The Dark Sides? ’

http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/dkennedy/speeches/TheDarkSides.pdf

 Hurst Hannum, ‘Reinvigorating Human Rights for the Twenty-First Century’, Human Rights Law
Review (2016) 409–45
https://academic.oup.com/hrlr/article/16/3/409/2452830

f. International organizations; The United Nations, the African Union, and the WTO

 Michael W. Doyle, ‘Dialectics of a global constitution: The struggle over the UN Charter’,
European Journal of International Relations,
http://ejt.sagepub.com/content/18/4/601.full.pdf+html

 ‘Responsibility to protect and the African Union: Assessing theAU’s capacity to respond to
regional complex humanitarian and political emergencies’ African Security Review (2016), 25 (3),
223–241
https://eg.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/36344/1/Responsibility%20to%20protect%20and%20the
%20African%20Union.pdf

 Andrea Kupfer Schneider, ‘Getting Along: The Evolution of Dispute Resolution Regimes in
International Trade Organizations’,) Michigan Journal of International Law,
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1295562

g. International organization, international law & the settlement of disputes(‘conflicts’)

 Richard Bilder, ‘An Overview of International Dispute Settlement’, Emory Journal of

International Dispute Resolution (1986) 1-32.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1551962&download=yes

 Louis B. Sohn, ‘The Role of International Institutions as Conflict Adjusting Agencies’, University
of Chicago Law Review (1961). Vol. 28, No.2
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cd87/f09becf9facfd59657ec625825fbc84958d8.pdf

 Radha Krishna Ramphul, ‘The Role of International and Regional Organizations in the Peaceful
Settlement of International Disputes ( with special emphasis on the Organizations of African
Unity) (1983)
https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1873&context=gjicl

h. Contemporary topics in international law & organizations; terrorism, migration, displacement

etc

 OHCHR, ‘Human Rights, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism’ (Fact sheet No. 32)
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet32EN.pdf

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  UNHCR, ‘Protecting Internally Displace Persons: A Manual for Law and Policy Makers’ (October
2018) https://www.unhcr.org/50f955599.pdf

 Azfer Ali Khan, ‘Can International Law Manage Refugee Crisis’ , Undergraduate Law Journal,
Oxford University
https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/field/field_document/4.pdf

i. Summary –International law and organizations

3. Evaluation

 Group presentation and paper review: 20%

This evaluation component also includes a 15 Minutes presentation by a group of two students
(10 Minutes each.) followed by a discussion session (10 Minutes each). Not only the presenters,
all belonging to the class are required to read all the reading assignment and contribute to the
discussions during the sessions. This would help keep active the discussions of the relevant
issues. Presenters are required to submit a- two-page review-summary of the material they
presented to the class

 Individual paper: 20%

Each of you will be expected to write and submit one academic research (deadline to be
announced). The paper will be based on library research and you will required to write and
submit research paper of acceptable quality- adequately addressing the topic, proper use of
sources and citations, originality, organization and clarity in presentation, language editing, and
citations and references per the applicable rules or standards of presenting sources and
bibliographies. Take note of the overall format of your written presentation of your work. These
will be the basis upon which your paper will be assessed. The paper must be between 8-10
pages, 1.5 line-spacing, Times New Roman, and 12 point font size.

 Attendance and participation (10%)

Attendance will be taken every session. Each student is expected to attend all the sessions
having completed the reading assignments before each of the sessions. Each student is expected
to actively participate in class discussions, ask questions, and engage in discussion during the
lecture and the presentations.

 Final examination 50%

The final examination will consist of a few essay questions and some short answer questions
drawing on the topics discussed during the lectures, the reading materials for the class
presentations, and the required reading materials. Students will be required to understand the
questions first, attempt the questions per the instructions, organize and write the answers
clearly.

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4. Additional Reading Materials

 Thomas J.Biersteker et al (eds.) International Law and International Relations: Bridging Theory
and Practice (Routledge,2007)

 Malcolm Shaw, International Law (6th ed., Cambridge University Press, 2008)

 Ian Brownlie, Principles of Public International Law (7th ed., Oxford University Press, 2009)

5. Links for additional source of information

 African Union; https://au.int/

 United Nations; https://www.un.org/en/
 United Nations Treaty Collections; https://treaties.un.org
 The International Court of Justice (ICJ): www.icj-cij.org
 International Labour Organisation (ILO): www.ilo.org
 World Trade organization (WTO): www.wto.org
 Organization of American States: www.oas.org
 NAFTA: www.mac.doc.gov/nafta/nafta2.htm
 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation: www.apec.org
 ASEAN: www.aseansec.org
 Council of Europe: www.coe.fr/index.asp
 European Union; https://europa.eu
 OSCE; www.osce.org
 International Law Association; https://www.ila-hq.org/