International Law Trivia Quiz

Answer: Civil Aviation

The Chicago convention established the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as a special organization of the UN. It has been agreed, for example, that every plane, similar to every ship, needs to be registered in its country of origin.

Answer: No

The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (1967) calls for peaceful use of space. Satellites used for military intelligence are however justified by the self-defense clause of the Charter of the United Nations (art. 51). Space itself does not belong to any country, and is freely accessible for research activities given due consideration for possible effects on the environment of the earth.

Answer: 200 nautical miles

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982) states that countries shall have the 'sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents and winds' (Art. 56) in a breadth of 200 nautical miles from the coast baseline (i.e. 12 nautical miles from the coast).

Answer: UNCTAD

GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs), GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) and TRIPS (Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) are contracts governed by the WTO, which is not a part of the United Nations group of Organizations. UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) concerns itself with developmental aspects of international trade.

Answer: signatory parties have to extend equal trading privileges to all other signatories

It means that if you extend special treatment to one country, you have to extend it to all other countries too. WTO/GATT had 149 members in early 2006.

Answer: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

The declaration, made in 1948, played a very important part in recognizing individuals, not only countries and organizations, as subjects of the international law.

Answer: 1928

It was abolished by the Kellogg-Briand pact of 1928. Before war was widely seen as a 'continuation of politics (Politik) by other means' (Clausewitz). The signing parties declared in article 1 that they 'condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another'. Ring any bells in the Bush administration?

Answer: In case of self-defense OR if authorized by the UN security council

User of force is generally prohibited by the UN charter Art 2 (3+4):
(3) All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.

(4) All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.

However, in case of collective or individual self-defense against an actual or imminent armed attack, OR when the Security Council has directed or authorized use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security (as in the case of the Korean War and the First Gulf War), use of force is permitted. In both cases actual attacks had been carried out before the self-defense actions had been approved and concerted by the UN.

Answer: No

The General Assembly convenes once a year, usually on the third Tuesday in September. Its resolutions and statements are not binding international law. They can however become common law if generally accepted over a long time frame. On the other hand, the resolutions of the UN Security council are binding law to all member states (Art 25 UN charter).

Answer: Yes

One important characteristic of law is its enforceability. If countries break international common law or international treaties, there is no higher force to punish them. However, there exists a set of common principles between the nations like 'treaties are to be served (pacta sunt servanda)', in case of breach of which the 'rogue nations' will be held in contempt by the nations among which the consensus exists. Thus international law is enforceable to a certain extent (although much lesser than national law), and possesses all the qualities of law.