ABSTRACT
The role of various actors, such as states, trust and non-self-governing territories, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and various groups of individuals, in respect of international law has been in a constant change. At every moment of the development of international law the status of the actors is determined by its rules themselves. In addition to having itself legal personality under international law, a subject of international law can at the same time be a composing element of another legal person. In discussing "peoples" as possible subjects of international law, it is imperative to have in mind the two main uses of this term in the context of international law: "peoples" as the entire population of a territory; and "peoples" as groups of persons having common ethnic, cultural, and historic ties. The development of the international protection of minorities has been accompanied by predominant State practice as well as scholarly writings against the recognition of minorities as subjects of international law.
