International Law Resources

Jean Wells
Reference Librarian
Winthrop University
June, 2008

Dictionaries:

Bledsoe, Robert and Boleslaw A. Boczek.  International Law Dictionary.  (Ref JX1226 .B57 1987.)

Arranged by topic, then alphabetical entries within that topic.  The following definition of "International Law" appears on pages 13-14"

"The body of legal rules considered binding upon states and other international person in their mutual relations.  International law is founded primarily upon treaties and custom, as well as general principles of law recognized by civilized nations (along with such subsidiary sources as judicial decisions and the works of legal scholars)."

Ziring, Lawrence, and Jack C. Plano and Roy Olten. International Relations : A Political Dictionary.  (Ref JX1226 .P55 1995.)

Organized by topics, Guide to Major Topics in front, detailed index in the back.

Black's Law Dictionary.  (Ref KF156 .B53 2000)

Classic legal dictionary, includes definitions of many legal terms, not just international legal terms.

Dahl's Law Dictionary.  (Ref K52 .S6 .D33 1996)

Spanish-English/Inglés-Español

Dictionary of International Human Rights Law (Ref. K3239.3 .G53 1996)

Encyclopedias:

The Human Rights Encyclopedia  (Ref JX1977 .O8213 1990)

Maddex, Robert L.  International Encyclopedia of Human Rights:  Freedoms, Abuses, and Remedies (Ref JC571 .M3243 2000)

Useful Books:

Search in Dacus Online Catalog (DOC) under "international law."  Useful books include:

Aust, Anthony, Handbook of International Law. (Reference KZ3410 .A97 2005)

Goldsmith, Jack L. The Limits of International Law. (Gen. Coll. KZ3160 .P67 .A38 2005)

Von Glahn, Gerhard, Law Among Nations:  An Introduction to Public International Law. (Gen. Coll. JX3185 .V6 1992)

A general textbook on public international law.

Mayer, Martin.  The Diplomats.  (Gen Coll. JX1662 .M36 1983)

An exposition of the profession of diplomats and foreign service officers who frequently deal with international law.

Trebilcock, Michael J. and Robert Howse, The Regulation of International Trade. (Gen. Coll. K3943 T72 1995)

Written before the formation of the World Trade Organization, this book is a good overview of international trade law.

Brownlie, Jan, ed. Basic Documents on Human Rights, 2nd ed. (Gen. Coll. K3238 A1 B76 1981)

A compendium of the texts of the principal human rights treaties of the 20th century through 1980.  Includes short annotation on the history of each document.

If you want to browse the stacks, check the following classification numbers:

JX - Ground Floor
K  -  Ground Floor

Indexes:

Academic Search Premier  (On Dacus Library Online)

Search using terms such as "international law," "comparative law,"  or "international trade, or you may use "law" in the first search block and the name of a country in the second search block.

LexisNexis Academic (On Dacus Library Online)

Search in database called "Legal Research" in Legal News or Law Reviews for relevant articles using terms "international law," "comparative law," or "international trade."

Academic OneFile (On Dacus Library Online)

Search for relevant articles using terms "international law," "comparative law," or "international trade."

Journals:

Foreign Affairs  (Gen. Coll:  D410.F6 (1923-present-):  bound and current.  Also available online. )

Monthly journal on international affairs published by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Foreign Policy  (Gen. Coll:  E744 .F75 1971-present-):  bound and current.  Also available online.)

Monthly journal published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Economist  (Microfilm:  HG11 .E2 1990-present-): microfilm and current.  Also available online.)

A weekly newsmagazine covering international politics and business in-depth. 

Naval War College Review  (Govt. Docs:  D208.209:  Also available online.)

A quarterly journal published by the U.S. government with a military perspective on international law.

Biographical Resources:

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments.  (Govt. Docs: PrEx3/1/2:  )

This monthly U.S. government publication lists the name and title of senior government officials. Also available on the World Wide Web at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/ 

International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who.  (Ref JA51 .I57 )

This work contains three major sections:  (1) Intergovernmental Organizations, (2) States of the World and (3) Biographies of Political Leaders.

Directories:

Yearbook of International Organizations (Ref JX1904 .A42)

Contains contact information on hundreds of intergovernmental organizations, international associations, and international agencies.

Yearbooks:

Statesman's Yearbook:  The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World (Ref JA51 .I7 - kept at Reference Desk.)

This book consists of two principal sections:  (1)International Organizations and (2) Countries of the World.  Includes short entries on intergovernmental organizations and multiple page entries on each country with a section on the country's constitution and government.

Europa World Year Book (Ref JN1 .E85)

Articles are organized by country in alphabetical order and contain section on Government in the Introductory Survey and a section on the country's Judicial System.

Annual Review of United Nations Affairs (Ref JX1977 .A1 .A5)

Contains copies of official documents of the principal divisions of the UN, including the International Court of Justice, and selected reports from UN Commissions and diplomatic conferences.  Use the detailed table of contents to find international legal materials.

Handbooks:

Handbook of International Law (Ref KZ3410 .A97 2005)

"...this book explains how states and international organizations, especially the United Nations, make and use international law."

Political Handbook of the World (Ref HQ1150 .S73)

Entries by country in alphabetical order.  Entries include a section on Government and Politics which has subsections on legal constitution and current issues.  Also has entries on intergovernmental organizations, such as the International Court of Justice and the European Union.

Government Documents

Digest of International Law (Print editons: 1960s) (S7. 12/2)
Online editions from 1989 – 2004: http://www.state.gov/s/1/c8183.htm

United States Treaties and other International Agreements (1776 – 1984) (S9. 12)

Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America (1776 – 1949) (S9. 12/2:8)

Web Resources:

American Society for International Law ( http://www.asil.org ) The oldest international law association in the United States.  The ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law available on the Web is excellent ( http://www.asil.org/resource/home.htm )

United Nations ( http://www.un.org ) The official Web page of the United Nations.  Click on the International Law page ( http://www.un.org/law/ ).

European Union ( http://www.europa.eu.int. ) The official Web page of the European Union.

U.S. Department of State ( http://www.state.gov ) The official Web page of the U.S. State Department, the U.S. government cabinet-level agency devoted to foreign affairs. 

International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (Unidroit) ( http://www.unidroit.org )  The official Web page of an international organization devoted to research and advocacy of the harmonization of international law contains information on international commercial law.

Treaties:

Glenville, J.A.S. The Major International Treaties since 1945:  A History and Guide with Texts (Ref JX171 .G745 1987)

Includes text of treaties since 1945 through the early 1980's.  Organized by topic with detailed table of contents and index.