Maxim 12.10.2
The law of nations is that which regulates the intercourse of nations.
Jus gentium est quod inter gentes regit commercium.
Source: 1 Kent, Comm. 1, 4
Difficulty 3/5 — Intermediate
Explanation
International law governs the relations between sovereign nations — it is the framework within which treaties, commerce, and war are conducted.
Where this applies
- Relations between nations are governed by international law, not domestic law alone.
- The law of nations regulates trade and diplomacy between sovereign states.
- International disputes must be resolved under the framework of the law of nations.
Legal domains
See also
- 12.10.1 International law originates in the law of nature and is founded upon certain divine decrees which have separated nations and men.
- 12.10.4 An aggressor who puts himself into a state of war with another and unjustly invades another's right can never, by such unjust war, come to have a right over the conquered.
Cite this maxim
NeCede Max. 12.10.2 — The law of nations is that which regulates the intercourse of nations. — 1 Kent, Comm. 1, 4 (Jus gentium est quod inter gentes regit commercium.)
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