Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Countries, Law & Consent

Countries are legal people. International Law is the set of rules that allow agreements between countries to be binding. It requires countries to delegate authority to supranational authorities to adjudicate over disputes, e.g. International Criminal Court or the European Court of Human Rights. Most International Law is consent-based, so the countries are still in charge... they just agree to play by the rules, or not play. Like a game of touch rugby, poker, tennis or chess works better if you know the rules. Ideally the same rules apply to everyone. If the world were actual people, there would be about 200 of them. Fatties like China, with populations of 1.4 Billion, and minions like the Vatican City, with a population of about 1000. Ms Qatar would earn $127,660 a year, and Ms Central African Republic would earn $652 a year. 'The People' that make up countries don't speak with one voice, and the rules treat the 'The Peoples' differently.



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