UNIT 3. SUBJECTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

functions. Other subjects control the territory for a limited period of time. As for states, they have full legal capacity, so they are vested with rights, powers, and obligations. Nowadays there are 200 states. Despite the fact that all states are equal, some of them have strong economic and military systems and thus they hold authority in the international community.

Another type of international subjects is called insurgents. They always oppose to the state where they live. It is difficult for the international community to accept them as they use force. So their existence is provisional: they can win and becomelegal states or lose and disappear.

States and insurgents are considered to be conventional subjects of the international community as they have been on the international scene since its inception. In the 20th century and after the World War II other actorsappeared on the international arena, namely, international organizations, national liberation movements and individuals. Theiremergence is a peculiar feature of modern international law.

All international subjects have a limited capacity in the sphere of international rights and obligations. There are also restrictions on their acts connected with putting into effect their rights and powers or enforcing their rights.

*B. Answer the following questions:

1.Can individuals be considered to be the primary subjects of national legal systems?

2.What can you say about primary subjects of any international community?

3.What do states exercise?

4.States are the backbone of the community, aren’t they?

5.What do insurgents do?

6.Are there any restrictions for other international subjects?

VOCABULARY

*A. Look at the underlined words and match them with the Russian equivalents:

24

8)появиться на международной арене

9)национальное освободительное движение

10)ограниченные полномочия

***D. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:

1.Вы можете назвать исполнительные органы свой страны?

2.Когда этой организации предоставили такие полномочия?

3.Эти субъекты права противостоят государству.

4.Издание законов – сложный процесс.

5.Национальное освободительное движение этой страны добилось независимости в прошлом году.

6.У этого субъекта права ограниченные полномочия, не так ли?

ORAL PRACTICE

Hedges in speech

Hedges can help the speaker to avoid situations when he can sound impolite or be wrong, etc.

E.g. – Strictly speaking, I am not good at negotiating with foreign partners and acting as a lawyer but I think that one-month internship in your company will be quite useful.

– Correct me if I am wrong, but you had some kind of internship in an international company in London last year, didn’t you?

26

“I have them here,” she answered, producing half a dozen pieces of paper.

“You are certainly a model client. You have the correct intuition. Let us see, now.” He spread out the papers upon the table and gave little darting glances from one to the other. “They are disguised hands, except the letter,” he said presently; “but there can be no question as to the authorship. See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out, and see the twirl of the final s. They are undoubtedly by the same person. I should not like to suggest false hopes, Miss Morstan, but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?”

“Nothing could be more unlike.”

“I expected to hear you say so. We shall look out for you, then, at six. Pray allow me to keep the papers. I may look into the matter before then. It is only half-past three. Au revoir then.”

“Au revoir,” said our visitor; and with a bright, kindly glance from one to the other of us, she replaced her pearl-box in her bosom and hurried away.

Standing at the window, I watched her walking briskly down the street until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd.

“What a very attractive woman!” I exclaimed, turning to my companion.

He had lit his pipe again and was leaning back with drooping eyelids. “Is she?” he said languidly; “I did not observe.”

“You really are an automaton – a calculating machine,” I cried. “There is something positively inhuman in you at times.”

He smiled gently.

“It is of the first importance,” he cried, “not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money, and the most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor.”

28