What happens if you break international law? An animated explainer

28,214 views ・ 2021-12-17

BBC Learning English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Let's say you've broken international law.
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What next? Well, it depends.
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Quite often, nothing happens at all.
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Pursuing justice takes time and money,
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but sometimes things do happen.
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Let's imagine you're a state that invades another.
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You've broken one of the most fundamental international laws
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and committed the crime of aggression.
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You can expect sanctions
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or maybe even military intervention.
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Now, let's say you're an individual
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who's committed a war crime.
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You personally might be tried at an international court:
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this can take decades and requires the help of your own country.
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And what if you're an energy company
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that has spilled oil in the sea around another country?
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Then this might be a case for private international law
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and your company could face fines and punishment.
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International laws are sometimes broken
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because of the problem of effectively enforcing them,
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but they're there to guide us
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for when things do go wrong.
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