Basically defined, international law is simply the set of rules that countries follow in dealing with each other. But this basic definition must be supplemented with three more-complex explanations—Is international law really law, the way the laws of the United States, enforced by courts and police, are? Where do we find the rules of international law? Are they written down somewhere? Finally, how is international law enforced, if there is no world government?

Next: Is International Law Really “Law”?