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Does international law work? | Unravelled

The phrase, “violation of international law,” seems like it’s constantly being repeated by world leaders, particularly in light of various recent global conflicts: Israel’s ongoing military action in Gaza, Russia’s war on Ukraine, the US’s attacks on Iran to name a few. These conflicts represent the moments we tend to notice international law – and assume it must not be working. International law, however, is a complex web of customs and agreements made by countries, for countries to follow. It's the reason why so many things do work – whether that’s travel or trade, or communication or global package delivery. Conflicts, then, represent anomalies; extreme and striking examples of what are sometimes violations of international law. So, why do these types of violations happen? And if there is no mechanism to stop them, is it fair to say international law works? Jutta Brunnée, a professor of international and environmental law at the University of Toronto, explains the mechanics of international law and why it does work – even when it doesn’t seem like it. 0:00 International Law Unravelled 0:32 What International Law Is and Why It Exists 1:12 How International Law Shapes Everyday Life 2:00 How Countries Create International Rules 2:42 When International Law Functions as Intended 3:11 Responding to Violations of International Law 3:40 The Role of the International Court of Justice 4:08 South Africa's Case Against Israel at the ICJ 5:11 Sovereignty and the Limits of Enforcement 5:25 Sanctions and Other Responses to Violations 6:10 Russia, Ukraine, and the Impact of Sanctions 6:35 Does International Law Work? 6:45 South Africa's Apartheid-Era Sanctions Example 7:07 The Ongoing Debate Over International Law's Effectiveness 7:28 Credits and more Unravelled About Unravelled Unravelled is TVO Today’s digital video series where we clarify complex issues that shape our lives. Join us online to make sense of what’s happening now. Subscribe on YouTube for the latest episodes: YouTube.com/@tvotoday Stay up to date with Ontario Politics every day: https://www.tvo.org/ Follow on social media: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/therundowntvo Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/TheRundownTVO X- https://twitter.com/therundowntvo Bluesky- https://bsky.app/profile/therundowntvo.bsky.social Subscribe to TVO Today to watch more content like this: https://www.youtube.com/@tvotoday Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Check out the rest of the TVO ecosystem TVO Docs - https://www.youtube.com/@tvo TVO Kids - https://www.youtube.com/@TVOkids TVO Learn - https://www.youtube.com/@tvolearn Download the TVO Today App Apple - https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112 Available on: Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung, LG, Amazon Fire TV Enjoying this content and want to make a meaningful impact? Consider donating today! https://support.tvo.org/site/Donation2?mfc_pref=T&idb=599945504&df_id=16843&16843.donation=form1&DONATION_LEVEL_ID_SELECTED=1661&mfc_pref=T #InternationalLaw #ICJ #Unravelled