How does international law differ from national law and how international law can be used as a tool for confilct resolution?

Answer 1

There are two questions here, so we should answer each in sequence:

1) How does International Law differ from National Law? -- There are two main differences here. The first major difference concerns how the laws are formulated, enacted, and enforced. The second major difference concerns the legal answer to certain key questions. In National Law, the laws are enacted by a single sovereign power (which may exist as different branches of government or a union in the person of a dictator). Enforcement also comes directly from the sovereign that proposed it. In the case of International Law, it comes about by treaties written by the governments of various states and is subject to numerous compromises and caveats made by those governments. When it comes to enforcement, each of those individual governments is responsible for enforcement.

In terms of having different legal answers to questions, the most prominent of these usually concerns legal immunity for government officials. In National Law, most leaders of countries are shielded from any real lawsuit against them or challenge to their criminal behaviors. International Law can hold the leader of any nation accountable.

2) How can International Law be used as tool for conflict resolution? -- Simply put, International Law can serve like an objective third party that can resolve the dispute without appearing partial to one side's view of the conflict. This allows it to effectively resolve such conflicts. Also since International Legal remedies can involve political system changes that are guaranteed by powerful nations, weaker nations are less hesitant about accepting jurisdiction of International Courts than a direct brokering of peace with a powerful adversary.