Skip to main content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

International Law: U.S. Foreign Affairs

GUIDE OUTLINE

Home
     Scope
     Ask a Librarian
     International Law Research Guides

Secondary Sources
     Guides to International Legal Research
     Finding Law Articles
     Finding Articles in Other Disciplines
     International Law Reference Sources
     Other Secondary Sources

Treaties
     Finding Aids for U.S. Treaties
     Full-Text U.S. Treaty Sources
     Other Full-Text Sources
     Locating Background Information                     about U.S. Treaties

Foreign Law
     Finding Background Information
     Laws by Country
     Laws by Subject
     Foreign Constitutions
     Foreign Cases
     Subscription Resources

European Union
     Guides to the European Union
     European Union Websites
     Subscription Resources

United Nations
     United Nations Websites
     CALI Lessons - UN and ICJ
     HeinOnline United Nations Collection

U.S. Foreign Affairs
     Treatises and Reference Materials
     Databases and Indexes
     U.S. Government Publications
     Web Resources

Human Rights
     United Nations 
     Regional Bodies
     Web Resources

Commercial Arbitration
     General Resources
     Treaties
     Arbitral Rules and Awards
     National Legislation and Cases
     Secondary Sources
     Current Awareness and News

Trade
     Commercial Databases
     U.S. Government Resources
     World Trade Organization
     United Nations 
     Regional Organizations
     Other Online Resources

Environmental Law
     Treaties
     International Organizations 
     United States
     Europe
     National Laws

Global Health
     Web Resources

Armed Conflict
     Web Resources

WEB RESOURCES

Foreign Intelligence Law Collection
This Georgetown University Law Library online collection includes primary and secondary resources pertaining to U.S. foreign intelligence law and national security.

Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection
Frontline Diplomacy is part of the Library of Congress American Memory Project. It contains transcripts of interviews with American diplomatic personnel, including Foreign Service Officers, political appointees, and other officials, focusing on the years 1940-2000.

National Security Archive  
George Washington University - Gelman Library in Washington, D.C. houses the National Security Archive, a repository for declassified documents obtained from the U.S. government through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Truth Commissions Digital Collection
This United States Institute of Peace digital collection contains background information on truth commissions and links to each commission’s final report and findings.

Veterans History Project - Library of Congress
The Veterans History Project from the Library of Congress collects, preserves, and makes available the personal accounts of American war veterans. The collection of personal accounts can be searched by conflict, era, and branch of service, as well as browsed by last name, war, military branch, state of residence, and race/ethnicity.

Wilson Center Digital Archives
This site has collections of declassified historical documents from archives around the world, including diplomatic cables, correspondence, and meeting minutes.

TREATISES AND REFERENCE MATERIALS

Restatement of the Law, the Foreign Relations Law of the United States
This Restatement covers United States law regarding foreign relations and international law as it applies in the United States as derived from U.S. treaties and customary international law.  In addition to HeinOnline, it is available on Westlaw and Lexis and in print in the law library.

Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations  
The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations e-book provides a concise history of American foreign relations.

Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy, 2nd ed. (2002)
This e-book contains entries by foreign policy experts on topics that include policymaking, human rights, terrorism, international economics, refugees, and war.

Historical Statistics of the United States
Historical Statistics of the United States is an annual compendium of U.S. statistical information that contains data concerning the population, economic performance, work and welfare, and governance and international relations. This electronic edition of the statistics is fully searchable and downloadable.

United States Practice in International Law  Volume 1
United States Practice in International Law  Volume 2
This e-book by Sean D. Murphy was published by Cambridge University Press in 2002. 

CQ Press Electronic Library
The CQ Press Electronic Library provides access to the suite of Congressional Quarterly publications, including CQ Weekly, CQ Researcher, Political Handbook of the World, Politics in America, and Supreme Court Yearbook. These resources contain information on American government, current affairs, history, politics, and public policy, as well as data analysis for the social sciences.

DATABASES AND INDEXES

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
CIAO is a searchable database of working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals, and policy briefs.  Coverage is from 1991 to the present.

Digital National Security Archive
Digital National Security Archive unlocks a vast trove of important declassified U.S. government documents, providing vital primary source material to advance research in twentieth and twenty-first century history, politics, and international relations. The digitized documents are made available in over 40 topic-based collections coverings such topics and areas as the Soviet Union; Mexico, Cuba and Latin America; Iran, Iraq and the Middle East; Nuclear history and policy; Henry Kissinger and US diplomacy; and Japan, Korea and The Vietnam War.

Military and Government Collection
This database provides access to journal articles and other publications that offer current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government.

PAIS International
PAIS International is an index to articles, government and nongovernmental reports, and other resources dealing with international relations, law, government, and related social science disciplines. Coverage is from 1972 to the present.

U.S. Declassified Documents Online
This resource contains the full text of declassified U.S. government documents from 1941 to 1992.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts 
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts indexes international publications in political science and related fields, including international relations, law, and public policy, from 1975 to the present.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

American Presidency Project
This free website provides a searchable database of presidential documents from 1789 to the present.

Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders
This online National Archives collection contains Presidential proclamations and executive orders from April 13, 1945 to January 20, 1989 (Truman through Reagan).

Compilation of Presidential Documents
The Compilation of Presidential Documents has proclamations, executive orders, speeches, and other documents issued by the President. This Government Publishing Office web site has 1993-present.

HeinOnline: U.S. Presidential Library (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
This online collection includes presidential messages, papers, and documents from President Washington through President Obama.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Digest of United States Practice in International Law
This annual publication from the Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. State Department, gives a record of U.S. state practice in international law. The State Department web site provides access to the Digest for the years 1989-current. HeinOnline offers access to the Digest for the years 1973-current (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE).

Foreign Relations of the United States
This series is from the State Department’s Office of the Historian. It is an "official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity."

U.S. State Department Foreign Affairs Manual and Handbook
The Foreign Affairs Manual and Handbook are the comprehensive and authoritative source for the State Department's organization structures, policies, and procedures that govern the operations of the State Department, the Foreign Service and, when applicable, other federal agencies. 

Department of State Bulletin (1939-1989) / Department of State Dispatch (1990-1999)
This publication provided key speeches and testimony by senior State Department officials as well as current U.S. treaty actions. Now, all speeches, briefings, and testimony from State Department officials as well as current treaty actions are available on the Department of State website.

OTHER

American State Papers, 1789-1838
These are a collection of legislative and executive documents covering 1789-1838 and include topics dealing with the foreign relations of the United States.

Congressional Research Service Reports on Foreign Policy and Regional Affairs  
The Congressional Research Service is an agency within the legislative branch that conducts research and prepares reports for Congress.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was established in 1816. It plays a large role in developing and influencing United States foreign policy. The Committee’s website provides access to its hearings, reports, and press releases.