foreign perspective

Retaliatory measures, or reprisal, is a term used in international law to describe the use of diplomatic measures or force adopted by a State in response to a similar use of force exercised by another State. 

See letter of request and letters rogatory.

[Last reviewed in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]

A self-executing treaty is a type of international agreement that becomes enforceable as domestic law immediately upon ratification, without the need for any additional legislation or implementation by the national legislature. In contrast, a non-self-executing treaty requires implementation through legislation before it becomes judicially enforceable.

• international law

Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a federal statute that prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace.

• antitrust
• Sherman Antitrust Act
• antitrust law
• monopoly

The dismantling of South African apartheid culminated in a multi-racial democratic election in 1994. The African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela became President, and an interim constitution was drafted and enacted.

Special immigrants are non-citizens from certain groups, including U.S. government or international organization’s employees and their families, religious workers, and some juveniles, who can apply for permanent workers’ visas under USCIS special immigrant programs. Once approved, they may work and live in the U.S. permanently with green cards. See: 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27).

A sponsor is a person or entity that takes responsibility for supporting another person, proposal, or venture. 

• petition

The attributes of statehood under international law have traditionally been considered the following: 

• international law
• public international law
• statehood

In public international law, the subjects of international law traditionally included states. Since the establishment of international criminal tribunals, individuals are also proper subjects of international law.

• international law
• public international law

Hostage taking is when someone “seizes or detains and threatens to kill, to injure, or to continue to detain another person in order to compel a third person or a governmental organization to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the person detained, or attempts or conspires to do so.” See: 18 U.S. Code § 1203 - Hostage taking