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  • International law: it's great at some things,

  • but not so good at others.

  • It often comes down to two questions:

  • do you agree to accept these laws?

  • And what happens when you don't?

  • After all, law is really just...

  • well, law.

  • It's something written down

  • sometimes not even written down.

  • It's up to people to make it happen:

  • to enforce or implement it.

  • When everything works well and fairly,

  • we call this justice.

  • Justice is never easy,

  • but it's more straightforward inside individual countries.

  • On the world stage, it's very hard.

  • Remember, there's no single central authority.

  • There are some international institutions,

  • but they can have limited impact.

  • For instance, the International Criminal Court

  • deals with international crimes, such as genocide.

  • It has a staff of around 900.

  • Since its founding in 2002,

  • how many convictions has it made?

  • Only ten.

  • And not all countries have agreed to do what it says.

  • Of course, it's only one example.

  • And while some say it's a deterrent

  • in other words, it stops people

  • from committing terrible crimes in the first place

  • others have called it a 'giant without arms or legs',

  • because despite its size, it can't investigate crimes by itself.

  • It needs the help of individual countries.

  • So, all states have to agree to

  • and accept international law

  • and then act together to make things happen...

  • ...and we all know how hard that can be.

  • But when we do, we all have a better chance of justice.

International law: it's great at some things,

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