"Claims of right and insistence upon obligations may depend upon treaty stipulations, or upon the rules of international law, or upon the sense of natural justice applied to the circumstances of a particular case, or upon disputed facts."
Elihu Root was an American lawyer, statesman, and diplomat who served as U.S. Secretary of War and Secretary of State. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1912 for his work in international arbitration and peace initiatives. He also served as a U.S. senator from New York.