The big idea: A legal framework is the set of rules states agree to follow — international law. Its big difference from national law: there is no world police to enforce it.
Inside a country, laws are enforced by police and courts. Between countries, there are rules too — but no world government to make states obey. So how does international law work at all?
- Treaty — formal agreements states sign (e.g. the Paris Agreement).
- Customary international law — rules built up from long-standing practice.
- The UN Charter — the founding rules of the UN, which most states have signed.
The enforcement gap: The catch is enforcement. There is no world police to arrest a state that breaks the rules. States follow international law mostly because they choose to — for their reputation, their interests, and to keep the system working.
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A powerful but limited part of the legal framework is the court that can put individuals on trial for the worst crimes.
Case study — the International Criminal Court (ICC): The ICC can prosecute individual leaders for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It gives international law real teeth against the powerful.
But it depends on states' cooperation: it has no police of its own to make arrests, and several powerful states (including the US, China and Russia) are not members. So it can be blocked or ignored.
The key point: The ICC shows both sides of international law: it sets real standards and can hold leaders to account, but its reach is limited by state power — it cannot easily touch the strongest states or force arrests on its own.
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So is international law real law — does it actually work? Weigh both sides.
Link it up: International law is about order without a world government. In an answer, note that it works through consent and reputation, not force — strong on routine matters, weak against powerful states that choose to defy it.
How legal frameworks come up in Paper 1: A Paper 1 source might involve a law, treaty or court. To answer well, show what the rules allow and forbid — and who actually has the power to enforce them.
Using the sources and your own knowledge, evaluate the claim that international law is real law.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Easy marks to lose: 1. Saying it's 'not law at all'. Most of it is followed and it shapes behaviour.
2. Saying it's just like national law. There is no world police.
3. No real example. Use the ICC (or the ICJ).
4. Ignoring the enforcement gap. That is the heart of the debate.