International law is in its basic definition based on Nationalism and liberalism. Nationalism emerges as a result of people being affiliated to a Nation or state; the people who identify themselves with a nation have common aspirations. These divergent aspirations from different states or nations necessitate the need for international law. International law is also informed around the right of self determination by the doctrine of liberalism. Liberalism is purely concerned with the right of individuals and the extent to which their identity can be accommodated. This element is only achievable through association of communities and nations that could be important elements of individual freedom protection. The law of self determination emanates from the interaction of nationalism, liberalism and international law which exerts varied pressures on the direction of the rights within the law. All these doctrines have common features. International law derives its content from how state behaves as well as individual behavior basis. International law is capable of accommodating and interacting with both liberal and nationalists ideas as they form its foundations. Application and success of international law must be based and borrow from the enormous nation contributors.
References:
Summers, J. (2013). Peoples and International Law. Leiden: Brill | Nijhoff.