In an increasingly and interdependent world, international relations are growing and international law exists as a matter of practical necessity. With the expansion of its objectives, the scope of international law has grown exponentially in terms of its subjects and procedural matters.

International law covers everything from outer space to the ownership of the seabed with the boundless potential to impact on world affairs. It has become a primary tool for the regulation of international trade and financial activities.

International law is the set of rules generally regarded and accepted as binding in relations between states and between nations. It serves as a framework for the practice of stable and organized international relations. International law differs from state-based legal systems in that it is primarily applicable to countries rather than to private citizens. National law may become international law when treaties delegate national jurisdiction to supranational tribunals such as the European Court of Human Rights or the International Criminal Court. Treaties such as the Geneva Conventions may require national law to conform to respective parts.

Much of international law is consent-based governance. This means that a state member is not obliged to abide by this type of international law, unless it has expressly consented to a particular course of conduct. This is an issue of state sovereignty. However, other aspects of international law are not consent-based but still are obligatory upon state and non-state actors such as customary international law and peremptory norms (jus cogens).