international law

A ceasefire suspends fighting. It does not end a war, settle what caused it, or bind anyone who did not sign it — distinctions that decide whether one holds.

Sanctions are restrictions imposed to change a government's behaviour without going to war. Who can impose them, and what the evidence says about whether they work.

The Security Council is the UN's most powerful body, where any one of five permanent members can block a major decision on its own with the veto.

These three words are often used interchangeably, but in international law they mean different things — and the difference affects people's protection.

Joining the EU is a long, structured process built around democratic standards and adopting the bloc's entire body of law, chapter by chapter.