International Law for Afghanistan
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AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL LAW FOR AFGHANISTAN An Introduction to International Law for Afghanistan Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP) at Stanford Law School http://alep.stanford.edu [email protected] Stanford Law School Crown Quadrangle 559 Nathan Abbott Way Stanford, CA 94305-8610 www.law.stanford.edu © Afghanistan Legal Education Project at Stanford Law School © Afghanistan Legal Education Project at Stanford Law School ALEP – STANFORD LAW SCHOOL Authors Morgan Galland (Student Director, 2010-11) Evan Berquist Stephanie Gosnell Handler Nicholas Reed Michael Sulmeyer Editors Ingrid Price (Student Co-Director, 2012-13) Julian Simcock (Student Co-Director, 2012-13) Tres Thompson (Student Director, 2014-15) Mansi Kothari Catherine Baylin Nicholas Reed Faculty Director Erik Jensen Contributing Faculty Editor Allen Weiner Rule of Law Program Executive Director Megan Karsh Program Advisor Rolando Garcia Miron AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF AFGHANISTAN Contributing Editors Wadir Wadeer Safi Yama Keshawerz Chair of the Department of Law Taylor Strickling, 2012-13 Hadley Rose, 2013-14 Mehdi Hakimi, 2014- TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE...................................................................................................................................xiii! CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL LAW ........................................... 1! I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1! A. Sovereignty and Voluntary Compliance ............................................................................ 2! B. Origins of International Law .............................................................................................. 3! C. Theories in International Law............................................................................................. 4! II. ROADMAP............................................................................................................................ 5! III. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................... 7! OVERVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS..................................................... 8! GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................ 10! CHAPTER 2: THE SOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW............................................. 11! I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 11! Where Does International Law Come From? ................................................................... 11! II. SOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW: ARTICLE 38(1) OF THE STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE ......................................................................... 12! A. The Law of Treaties.......................................................................................................... 14! Why Do We Have Treaties? ............................................................................................. 14! What Is a Treaty?.............................................................................................................. 15! Clarification: The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties......................................... 16! Bringing a Treaty into Effect: Signing versus Ratifying .................................................. 16! Bringing a Treaty into Effect: Reservations, Understandings, and Declarations ............. 17! How Does a Treaty Work? ............................................................................................... 18! B. Customary International Law ........................................................................................... 20! State Practice: Uniform, Consistent, and General ............................................................ 21! Uniformity......................................................................................................................... 21! Consistency and Generality .............................................................................................. 22! v Opinio Juris et Necessitatis: Legally Necessary or Obligatory ........................................ 23! Evidence............................................................................................................................ 23! Jus Cogens ........................................................................................................................ 24! C. General Principles of Law ................................................................................................ 25! D. Subsidiary Means: Judicial Decisions and the Teachings of Scholars............................. 28! Brief Overview of Select International Courts and Tribunals .......................................... 28! III. MODERN SOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW: INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS .............................................................................................................. 31! III. CONCLUSION................................................................................................................... 34! GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................ 36! CHAPTER 3: THE NEXUS BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL LAW AND AFGHANISTAN’S DOMESTIC LAW .................................................................................... 38! I. INTRODUCTION AND OPENING INQUIRIES................................................................ 38! Separation of Powers ........................................................................................................ 38! II. THE TREATY-MAKING PROCESS IN AFGHANISTAN............................................... 40! Signature ........................................................................................................................... 40! Ratification........................................................................................................................ 40! III. ARE INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DOMESTIC LAW DISTINCT SYSTEMS?: THE THEORIES OF MONISM AND DUALISM ....................................................................... 41! The Theories of Monism and Dualism ............................................................................. 41! IV. INCORPORATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAWS INTO DOMESTIC LAW IN PRACTICE............................................................................................................................ 47! International Law in Afghanistan’s Constitution.............................................................. 48! Customary International Law and Other Sources of International Law Not Named in the Constitution....................................................................................................................... 52! V. THE COMPATIBILITY OF DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL LAW PROVISIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 53! Who Has the Authority to Determine Compatibility? ...................................................... 55! VI. THE HIERARCHY OF SOURCES OF LAW IN AFGHANISTAN ................................ 63! vi The UN Charter, International Treaties, International Conventions that Afghanistan has Signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights................................................. 63! Customary International Law ........................................................................................... 66! VII. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.......................................................................................... 66! VIII. CONCLUSION................................................................................................................ 68! GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................ 69! CHAPTER 4: INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW................................................ 70! I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 70! What Is International Human Rights Law? ...................................................................... 70! II. PRECURSORS TO HUMAN RIGHTS LAW .................................................................... 71! III. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW ...................................... 73! A. The UN Charter ................................................................................................................ 73! B. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ................................................................... 74! IV. CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW ................................ 75! A. International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)....................................... 75! B. International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)................. 77! C. Additional UN Human Rights Instruments ...................................................................... 79! D. Role of Customary International Law in Human Rights.................................................. 80! V. ENFORCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW............................... 82! A. Enforcement of the UN Charter and