International Law explainers / Why do we need international law?

Why do we need international law? Imagine an ocean with three different islands.

Each island does things its own way inside its own territory and each has its own laws.

Each is what we call 'sovereign'.

So, what if one island wants to trade with another?

Or send a diplomat?

Or fish in the sea near another?

Whose law do they use?

Well, this is where international law comes in.

We can think of it as a set of bridges connecting the islands.

They provide a framework that everyone has agreed to, so things can happen smoothly... most of the time.