Abstract:

ustoms gave rise to international law and are still effectively applied in the absence of other sources, for example, by the UN International Court of Justice. The article cites the position of this body, according to which custom exists when universal recognition, uniformity and sufficiently long practice coincide. At the same time, the author came to a rather rare conclusion: spontaneously/spontaneously arise - another feature of custom, which in the freedom-loving practice of interstate communication testifies to the natural right to act as sovereign interests command. Therefore, there are many more customs than officially accepted norms! In any case, the final of the article is laconic: it is not the form that is decisive, but the content, therefore the study of custom remains relevant along with the study of other international legal sources.

Keywords: Custom, norm, source, systematization, law, practice, recognition, regulation, formalism