The Yegiora Files

International law is important when you look at it from an international relations point of view because it helps you to understand and analyze the behaviour of states, non-state actors, and individuals using legal principles. International law also regulates, to a certain degree, the behaviour of states, non-state actors and individuals. Shaw (2009, pp. 1-2) said private international law talks about the conflict of laws. He gave an example of two Englishmen and their contract made in France to sell goods situated in Paris. He said an English court would apply French law as regards the validity of that contract. Also, if a couple from PNG got married in Australia while they were studying. A PNG court would apply Australian law to annul the marriage.  In contrast, public international law is usually just termed international law according to Shaw (ibid.). He says public international law covers relations between states in all forms, from war to satellites, and regulates th...

There are many different theories of international relations (IR). These theories help us as students, analysts or academics to evaluate or predict the behaviour of states and non-state actors. It is important to understand the theories if you are interested in IR as a field of study. According to Sterling-Folker (2006: p.5) as cited by Griffiths (2007), "IR theory is a set of template or prepackaged analytical structures for the multiple ways in which an event or activity...might be categorized, explained or understood. These templates may be laid over the details of the event itself, allowing one to organize the details in such a way that the larger pattern is revealed and recognize within and through the event." The theories are further divided into 2 philosophical movements; positivism and post-positivism. In this article, I will begin by explaining both movements based on the required readings for the unit IR202 Theories of International Relations. Then I will try...