LAW 516 - International Organizations

International Organizations The course aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal status of international organizations and associated persons (as well as their privileges and immunities) and the conditions under which and the procedures by which states and other entities acquire membership of these international bodies, including the United Nations. The course also considers the functions and activities of international organizations, paying particular attention to how decision-making within these organizations are shaped not only by legal principles and interpretations of the UN Charter but also by non-legal considerations including policy and politics. An important aim of the course therefore is to highlight the tension between law and politics that frequently arises in the process of decision- making in the UN system and its constituent organizations. The course also examines the structure, jurisdiction and functions of the International Court of Justice as well as the nature and functions of the International Institutions for the protection of human rights. It also focuses attention on how the UN system has shaped responses to issues of war, peace and terrorism.