ABSTRACT
International law governs legal relationships across jurisdictions and borders. In the past, it was understood as primarily concerned with relationships between states, but it now increasingly involves individuals, non-governmental organisations and international institutions, and also increasingly impacts on national legal systems. For example, individuals are increasingly affected by international human rights law. International law has a long history in the Western world, with the basic elements of a body of international law developing in Ancient Greece and Rome. Although the beginnings of international law can be found in various civilisations of antiquity, this chapter will focus on its Western origins, which have over time been a dominant infl uence, and especially of course in Europe.
