Activities.

The preoccupation^[13]of the Institute is the objective study of existing international law；and its abiding concern is that the evolution of international law proceed in a manner that conforms to the principles of justice and humanity^[14].Since it is a private association，it has no mandate to intervene directly in actual international disputes.The Institute does not，therefore，participate in the settlement of international controversies，nor does it censure governments for the positions they take in particular cases.The only exception to this rule was its adoption of a resolution in 1877 pertaining to the application of international law in the war between Russia and Turkey.

The Institute does not，however，limit its concern to legal abstractions^[15]nor its thinking to mere speculation.The Institute has formulated and endorsed^[16]specific proposals for the gradual creation of an international community that respects law and justice.Between 1873 and 1969，the pacific settlement of international disputes，for example，has been the subject of fifteen directly applicable resolutions and of many others indirectly applicable.Among these resolutions are those on treaties of arbitration；on procedures in conciliation；on the establishment，composition，and procedure of an International Court of Justice.On the subject of human rights the Institute has adopted at least eleven directly applicable resolutions，including its declaration of 1929 and the statement of 1947.Between 1873 and World War I，the question of neutrality was the concern of twenty-one resolutions，but it was not revived until half a century later in resolutions of 1963 and 1969.In the domain of international private law，from 1873 to 1969，the Institute has adopted sixty-four resolutions dealing with civil，criminal，and commercial matters.

Although the resolutions of the Institute have no official authority in the chancellories^[17]or the parliaments^[18]of the world，they have nonetheless exerted a significant influence on their actions，as well as on international conferences and on public opinion in general.For example，certain international treaties of the 1880's embodied^[19]recommendations made by the Institute on the Suez Canal and on the submarine cable；international arbitration procedures incorporated some of its suggestions；the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907 utilized its studies on the laws of war，especially those on the codification of land war prepared at its 1880 session in Oxford and thereafter called the“Oxford Manual”；the League of Nations and the United Nations have considered its recommendations on various questions.In the domain of international private law，the Institute's influence can be seen in extradition legislation^[20]——to cite only one instance；and the 1969 discussion of pollution of international waters provides direction for research on a pressing，contemporary problem4.