Identification

International agreements are treaties between two or more foreign states and sometimes even nongovernmental organizations that lay out specific rules on a subject, such as how to handle copyrights, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

History

The United Nations drew up proper rules and regulations for international agreements with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in 1969 and formally adopted this "treaty on treaties" in 1980, according to the United Nations.

Function

International agreements aim to prevent nations from engaging in armed conflict over disputed matters and foster friendship between countries, according to the United Nations.

Considerations

Some actions are so widely recognized as wrong that they do not need a formally written international agreement and become "customary international law," according to John McGinnis in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. An example of this would be the customary law against attacking a foreign diplomat.

Misconceptions

International agreements often suffer from the problem of enforcement, according to James Fearon of Columbia University. As of 2009, there is no governmental authority above the state level that can ensure that international agreements are followed.

Source:

Encyclopedia Britannica: International Agreement

United Nations; Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties; 2005

The Comparative Disadvantage of Customary International Law; John McGinnis

Resource:

Bargaining, Enforcement and International Cooperation; James Fearon