American Institute of International Law
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American Institute of International Law was an international scientific association for the study and progress of international law in the Americas.[1][2]
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The idea to form an organization that would codify international law was established at a meeting of the Third Committee of American Jurists in Rio de Janeiro on July 16, 1912.[3] The establishment of such an organization was proposed in October 1911.[4]
The institute was founded on October 12, 1912[5] by James Brown Scott and Alejandro Alvarez, and inaugurated December 29, 1915, at the Second Pan American Scientific Congress, held in Washington, D.C. On January 6, 1916, it adopted a Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Nations. The Declaration differed from other projects of a like kind in that it was not based solely upon philosophic principles, but was based exclusively upon decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.[6]
The organization met irregularly through at least 1938, churning out several international law papers on topics such as statehood, diplomatic and consular agents, and peaceful international dispute resolution.[7] By 1957, due in part to a lack of financial resources, the Institute was no longer active.[8]