ABSTRACT
The inter national legal system comprises norms, processes, and institutions.1 The inter - action of these elements creates inter national law’s authority, legitimacy, and effectiveness. International law is therefore implemented and given effect less through the threat of sanctions than through the cumulative actions of the system’s stakeholders. This self-enforcing characteristic is often regarded as a weakness or flaw in inter national law as a legal system but in fact it provides inter national law the opportunity to grow and to develop as it responds to stakeholder needs and desires. The cumulative effect of this process produced revolutionary developments that today address the wellbeing and safety of individuals, provide order for the collective political and economic interests of states, and facilitate increased levels of cross-border/transnational activity. And the process continues. International law now covers environmental protection, family relations, and criminal activities that were little covered or even recognized as subject to inter national law only decades ago. International law now has a robust operating platform to facilitate the development, implementation, and assessment of inter national norms. Nevertheless, inter national law faces the same challenges that all institutions confront in moving toward global govern ance, including multiple sources of authority, complex interrelated and multi-jurisdictional issues, and short time horizons.
