International Law is comprised of (1) treaties, (2) decisions of "international courts" (e.g., the International Court of Justice), (3) the past practice of nations and (4) the writings of international law scholars. As such, International Law is distinct from "Foreign Law," which is the law of other countries.
It can be exceptionally hard to find international law materials. One good guide is Germain's Transnational Law Research. The Georgetown University Law Center posts a useful collection of guides for researching international law. Globalex posts articles on key areas of International Law. Sometimes I have had success searching the catalogs of the Library of Congress, Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School. Also check EISIL, which is "an open database of authenticated primary and other materials across the breadth of international law." When all else fails I've had success relying on the kindness of the International Law Librarians at these and other law schools.
Other places to call include a relevant U.S. government office (e.g., the State Department) or government library -- or a relevant government office or library in an involved country. I have also called foreign countries' embassies and missions to the U.N. (Contact information for U.N. offices is posted on the U.N. Web site ). For European materials, call The Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities (371-3804). One last source: The American Society of International Law Library (202-939-6005).
I haven't used them, but Oxford Online offers a number of international case law databases called the Oxford Reports on International Law, as well as the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law.
Note: One can try to get materials from the "international" databases on Lexis and Westlaw, although I've had little success there. Exceptions: Both services have good databases for U.S. Treaties (INTLAW;USTRTY on Lexis; USTREATIES on Westlaw), and Westlaw offers an online version of International Legal Materials.
International Law Terms: Try the International Law Dictionary & Directory. Otherwise, search the Web or look in the index of a good international law treatise.
For more information: International law is discussed in many of the subject-specific entries, such as "Environmental Law," "Copyrights," etc. Treaties are discussed in "Treaties - U.S." and "Treaties - Foreign," both linked below.
