Definition of Norm Conflict in Public International Law: The Case of WTO Law

Conflict of norms is an essential concept in public international law. In today’s world, where international legal system is made up of a complex network of international norms, often interfering each other’s subject matter, conflict of norms is increasingly becoming a real and inevitable concept. In this context, having an appropriate definition of conflict becomes critical in order to clearly identify the rights and obligations of respective parties. In this work, we review different views on a proper definition of conflict in doctrine and the jurisprudence of international bodies on the definition. While doing this, we will put a special emphasis on WTO jurisprudence which increasingly becomes a recognized authority in contributing to public international law.