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TRANSCRIPT

Why do we need international law? Imagine an ocean with three different islands. 

Each island does things its own way inside its own territory and each has its own laws.

Each is what we call 'sovereign'. 

So, what if one island wants to trade with another? 

Or send a diplomat?

Or fish in the sea near another? 

Whose law do they use? 

Well, this is where international law comes in.

We can think of it as a set of bridges connecting the islands.

They provide a framework that everyone has agreed to, so things can happen smoothly... most of the time.

And there's another thing. Some problems aren't just between individual islands; they affect all of them. 

International law comes in here too, whether its drafting an agreement on human rights together, or agreeing a plan to fight climate change.