[Right_Wing_Madman]

Properly understood, there is international law in the sense of the customs and treaties that govern conduct among nations.

Properly understood, there is no international law in the sense that customs and treaties do not constitute "international law" as there is no international legislature to make laws nor is there an international executive to enforce them.

[Rockingham]

Even when there is no formal law making body, custom may be treated as binding law. That was so in unsettled territories as Americans settled the continent.

Likewise, when companies or countries make agreements, they look to the text of those agreements to govern their conduct and to resolve disputes without the involvement of legislatures or courts.

Diplomatic recognition similarly involves mutual promises between countries to abide by formal international conventions and diplomatic custom as to how diplomats and countries act. Other treaties also add to international law, as do various international organizations.

Like it or not, that is the nature of international law.