Public International Law
Summary
Public international law constitutes the body of rules, principles and institutions that govern the relations between sovereign states and other international actors. It encompasses treaty law, customary norms, general legal principles and procedures for dispute resolution. Core areas include the prohibition on the use of force, protection of human rights, environmental stewardship, regulation of maritime and airspace boundaries, and the law of state responsibility for wrongful acts. Customary obligations such as non-refoulement and erga omnes duties coexist with multilateral agreements—ranging from the United Nations Charter to specialised conventions—to create a layered framework of binding commitments. Enforcement is achieved through diplomatic negotiations, arbitral tribunals and judicial bodies such as the International Court of Justice, alongside non-binding instruments and soft law that influence state practice. In an era of climate change, cyber operations and autonomous weapons, public international law continues to adapt, balancing state sovereignty with collective responsibilities to preserve peace, human dignity and global welfare.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Public International Law publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in public international law across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
State responsibility: The principle that a state incurs legal consequences for internationally wrongful acts attributable to it.
Due diligence: The obligation on states to take reasonable and good-faith measures to prevent harm and ensure compliance with international obligations.
Erga omnes norms: Obligations owed by states towards the international community as a whole, breach of which may be addressed by any state.
Countermeasures: Non-forcible actions by states to induce compliance or obtain reparation for breaches of international law.
Attribution: The process of determining when conduct can be legally ascribed to a state for the purpose of assessing responsibility.
References
- Due Diligence in International Environmental Law and International Human Rights Law: A Comparative Legal Study of the Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement and Positive Obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Netherlands International Law Review (2021).
- NEUTRAL RIGHTS AND COLLECTIVE COUNTERMEASURES FOR ERGA OMNES VIOLATIONS. International and Comparative Law Quarterly (2023).
- State responsibility in relation to military applications of artificial intelligence. Leiden Journal of International Law (2022).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.