CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours
Diplomatic law is that area of international law which governs: (I) the conduct of international diplomacy, (ii) the relationships between sovereign States, as well as (iii) the relationships between States and International Organisations (IO’s). It does so by providing a procedural framework and a ‘machinery’ through which States and IO’s conduct diplomacy. These, in turn, rest on a set of multilateral treaties containing specific rights and obligations of States, most of which rely on principles ‘steeped in history’ and based on customary international law, such as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR).
This course builds on what students have already learned in course Introduction to Diplomacy about concepts and principles such as inviolability - diplomatic immunity - State immunity - immunity from jurisdiction - exemption to give evidence - waiver of immunity - immunity from execution and persona non grata. It will solidify their existing knowledge and enhance their understanding of those concepts and principles by delving deeper into their significance and effect by examining a number of domestic and international court cases including the ICJ case US Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran.
Teaching is based on (the modern American law school version of) the “Socratic method” blurring the distinction between lecture and seminar. The course is, from beginning to end, interactive and classes require preparation in order to participate. Students are expected to review the mandatory material in their assignments and should be able, when called upon, to recite the essence of that material in a clear and coherent fashion.
- Teacher: Gints Apals
- Teacher: Tjaco Theo van den Hout