ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Monism and dualism in international law

Okay, kiddo! Have you ever heard of the words "monism" and "dualism"? Well, they are like two different ways of understanding how international law works in countries like ours. Let me explain it to you!

So, you know that there are laws that we have to follow, right? These laws are made by people called lawmakers, and they tell us what we can and cannot do. In our country, we have our set of laws called "domestic laws". But there are also laws that apply to many countries around the world, like "international laws". These international laws are made by countries together, and they tell us how to act in relation to each other. For example, there are international laws that say we cannot go to war with other countries without a good reason.

Now, the way countries follow these international laws is where monism and dualism come in. Monism means that countries treat international law as if it is one with their own domestic laws. It's like they are mixing the two together, so international law is seen as just another set of rules that they have to follow. So, if a country wants to follow an international law, they don't have to pass a new domestic law to make it work. They just use the same laws that they already have in place.

On the other hand, dualism means that countries treat international law as separate from their own domestic laws. It's like they have two sets of laws that don't mix together. So, if a country wants to follow an international law, they have to pass a new domestic law to make it work. They can't just use the laws they already have in place.

Think of it like this: imagine you have two boxes of toys, one with blue toys and one with red toys. The blue toys are like our domestic laws, and the red toys are like international laws. With monism, you would just mix all the toys together and play with them all at once. With dualism, you would only play with one box of toys at a time, and keep them separate.

Got it, kiddo? Monism and dualism are just two different ways of thinking about how countries follow international laws.