For the moment, in too many areas of Europe one has the impression that people are coexisting rather than co-operating. International law is based on certain values 4. This rapid panorama of the international situation suffices to show that between the progress already made and the problems still unresolved, political leaders have a broad field of action. Every juridical system, as we know, has as its foundation and end the common good. The function of law is to give each person his due, to give him what is owed to him in justice.
Law therefore has a strong moral implication.
And international law itself is founded on values. The dignity of the person, or guaranteeing the rights of nations, for example, are moral principles before they are juridical norms. And this explains why it was philosophers and theologians who, between the 15th and 16th centuries, were the first theorists of international society and the precursors of an explicit recognition of ius gentium. Moreover, we cannot fail to note that international law is no longer a mere law between States, but rather tends more and more to bring individuals together by international definitions of human rights, of the international right to health care or the right to humanitarian aid, to mention but a few examples. In this sense, attempts to form an international criminal justice system are evidence of real progress in the moral conscience of the nations.