But it does mean that America has both the right and responsibility to act when basic international norms and principles are violated in the most egregious of ways.
We imagine representatives of the world's countries meeting to choose the normative principles that constitute the basic international structure.
These commitments have been predicated on basic religious principles, respect for international law, and alliances that resulted in wise decisions and mutual restraint.
A basic principle of international air law is that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory, including its territorial sea.
In response to the interrogation of about 40 Israelis upon arrival in Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight on Monday, Turkey pointed to intense security inspections of Turkish passengers in Tel Aviv Airport last week and said reciprocity was a basic principle in international customs procedures.
It is a basic principle of international law that state sovereignty is determined by actual control over a territory/population (PT1 61 62, though in PT2, 214 215, the idea is presented with greater hesitation).
As rabbis, we must hold both Israelis and Gazans to a basic principle in international law and in the Jewish tradition: We have a right and responsibility to defend ourselves, but must not kill civilians in the name of self defense.
Although in principle it is "horizontal," in the sense of being founded upon the concept of the equality of states one of the basic principles of international law in reality some states continue to be more important than others in creating and maintaining international law.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the attacks on journalists were an affront to the most basic principles of international law.
But in this case, he said, basic principles of international law apply, and that attacking Iraq without a specific provocation would violate those norms.
