The course addresses the questions of the sources of international law; the formation of customary law; the law of treaties; some issues of interaction between international law and the law of the United States; the law of statehood; rules regarding the place of individuals in international law, without, however, special emphasis on international human rights rules; international legal restrictions on state jurisdiction; international legal restrictions on the use of force; the rights of states to protect their nationals, including corporations, from mistreatment by other states; international criminal law and the law of the sea. The course seeks to direct students' attention regarding the nature of law, and to focus - with respect to particular legal topics - on the basis for any assertion that rules whose existence is asserted are legal rules.