Overview and Questions to Consider

Agreements between countries are called agreements, conventions, protocols, and treaties. Treaties may be bilateral (between two countries) or multilateral (between more than two countries). Many sources describe the nature of treaties and the treaty-making process, including:

United Nations, Office of Legal Affairs, Treaty Section, Treaty Handbook. KZ1302.T73 2001 at Classified Stacks
Describes the process of treaty-making, including depositing a multilateral treaty with the Secretary-General, key events in the treaty process, registering and filing a treaty. Includes a glossary.

Here are some questions to consider before you begin treaty research.

• Is the U.S. a party to the treaty? If the answer is yes, begin research with the sources like Treaties in Force. If the answer is no, use other sources like the United Nations Treaty Collection or the Multilateral Treaty Calendar.
• Do you know if the treaty is bilateral or multilateral?
• Do you know the name of the treaty?
• Do you know the approximate date the treaty was open for ratification or adoption? Consult the Multilateral Treaty Calendar.
• Are you looking for a citation to a published source or for the latest status information?

Remember that law reviews are an excellent source of information. Conduct a full-text search in LexisNexis or Westlaw using the information and keywords associated with the treaty. Many times that search will quickly reveal citations to the official publications that contain the text of the treaty.

Research Guides

ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law: Treaties provides an overview of significant online treaty resources and research strategies. Includes a list of other countries and international organizations online treaty materials.

Duke University School of Law Library, Treaties

LLRX, Researching U.S. Treaties and Agreements and Researching Non-U.S. Treaties and Agreements

New York University, Hauser Global Law School Program, GlobaLex, An Introduction to Sources for Treaty Research

New York University School of Law Library, International Treaties is a collection of links to treaty sources on the Internet.

Treaty Research Basics, 89 L. Libr. J. 407 (1997). Hein Online

Indexes

• KZ235.T74, current at Reference Area & Reference Office
• State Dep't, Treaties in Force
• Hein Online: 1941-date
• LexisNexis: INTLAW;USTIF, current
• LLMC Digital: 1955-56 & 1958-date
• Westlaw: USTIF, current

United States Treaty Index: 1776-2000 Consolidation. KZ235.C87 1991 at Reference Area 
Multi-volume set includes subject, country, chronological, and geographical indexes.
Updated twice a year by the Current Treaty Index. KZ235.C872 at Reference Area

Hein's United States Treaties and Other International Agreements Current Service. Index, KZ235.32.U65 at Reference Area; microfiche, KZ235.32.U65 at Reference Area Microfiche
Updates the United States Treaty Index. Includes microfiche of treaties and agreements not yet published in TIAS.

Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General. Annual. KZ171.M86, current at Reference Area & Reference Office
United Nations list of signatures, ratifications, accessions, reservations, and objections.

United Nations Treaty Series Cumulative Index covers 1987 through 2004, with more volumes to come.

Multilateral Treaty Calendar: 1648-1995. KZ118.W55 1998 at Reference Area
Organized chronologically.

World Treaty Index, 2d ed. 5 vols. KZ173.R63 1983 at Reference Area
Useful, although dated.

Multilateral Treaties: Index and Current Status. KZ118.B69 1984 at Reference Area
Useful because it includes important treaties regardless of participants. Supplemented periodically.

Collections-General

Online

Hein Online (UW Restricted)

• Treaties and Agreements Library. Contains U.S. treaties and other international agreements from 1776 in multiple series.
• International Legal Materials. Contains selected treaties and other international documents.

LexisNexis: INTLAW;USTRTY
Contains ratified and unratified (from Jan. 1981) treaties to which the U.S. is a party from 1776.

Westlaw (Restricted to users with Westlaw passwords)

• CMB-TREATIES. Contains treaties, conventions, and agreements from multiple sources.
• USTREATIES. Covers treaties to which the U.S. is a party, from 1778.
• ILM. Contains treaties published in International Legal Materials from 1980. Also the cumulative index: ILM-INDX.

American Memory, U.S. Statutes at Large, vols. 1-18, 1789-1875.
Contains treaties with Indian tribes and foreign governments.

Print

Collections--Selected Specialized Sources

Avalon Project at Yale Law School contains selected treaties dealing with diplomacy, including peace treaties and assorted bilateral treaties.

Lex Mercatoria, International Trade Instruments, Treaties, Conventions, Model Laws, Rules, a Reverse Chronological List.

Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators

Food and Agricultural Organization, Treaties Deposited with the FAO provides text and status information.

University of Minnesota, Human Rights Library, Human Rights Treaties and Other Instruments is arranged by subject and includes a list, organized by country, of ratification of human rights treaties.

Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Multilaterals Project contains multilateral treaties on atmosphere and space, cultural protection, diplomatic relations, flora and fauna, human rights, marine and coastal, rules of war and arms control, trade and commercial relations, and other general and environmental issues.

U.S. Treasury Dep't, Tax Treaty Documents provides the text of proposed treaties, from 1996.  

U.S. State Dep't, Bureau of Nonproliferation, Treaties and Agreements

LexisNexis: Legal > Area of Law by Topic > International Law > Treaties & International Agreements

• EURCOM;ECLAW. Contains European Communities and European Union treaties from 1953.
• INTLAW;NAFTA. Contains the North American Free Trade Agreement and supplemental agreements from Sept. 1993.
• FEDTAX;TAWTT. Tax Analysts Worldwide Tax Treaties Combined Files contains more than 4,400 worldwide tax treaties from 1828 to present.
• FEDTAX;WWFRCE. Tax Analysts Worldwide Tax Treaties In Force from Dec. 1910.

Westlaw databases

• EU-TREATIES. Contains European Union treaties between member states from 1951.
• FTX-TREATIES. Contains tax treaties and agreements between the United States and other countries from 1955.

For a more extensive list of links by country and subject, see the World Legal Information Institute, Treaties & International Agreements.

Status & Signatories

Treaties in Force is the State Dep't list of U.S. treaties and other international acts.

U.S. State Dep't, Office of the Legal Adviser, Treaty Actions covers bilateral and multilateral treaties to which the U.S. is a party. Covers from 1999.

U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, Pending Treaties provides information on the status of treaties submitted to the Senate for advice and consent (the oldest dating back to 1949).

Thomas, Treaties provides status information on treaties submitted to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent. Covers from 90th Congress, 1967 (earlier dates incomplete).

Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General, KZ171.M86 current at Reference Area & Reference Office
U.N. list of signatures, ratifications, accessions, reservations, and objections.

Acronyms & Abbreviations

Many treaty collections are known by their acronyms. The following list identifies the most commonly encountered acronyms and abbreviations.

Bevans = C. Bevans, Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America 1776-1949.

ILM = International Legal Materials

LNTS = League of Nations Treaty Series

TIAS = Treaties and Other International Acts Series

UNTS = United Nations Treaty Series

UST = United States Treaties and Other International Agreements

Frequently-Cited Treaties and Other International Instruments, from the University of Minnesota Law Library, may be used as a quick source for finding some treaty citations.