Comity of nations

Courteous recognition accorded by one nation to the laws and institutions of another. The nations observing international comity. Also called comity.

The "comity of nations" is a venerable legal and political concept. In its best-known juridical formulation, it means the respect owed to the laws and acts of other nations by virtue of commonmembership in the international system -a presumption of recognition that is something more than courtesy but less than obligation.

Comity in the legal sense, is neither a matter of absolute obligation on the one hand bor the mere courtesy and good will on the other. But it is the recognition which one ntion allows withinits territory to the legislative, executive, or judicial acts of another nation, having due regard both to international duty and convenience, and to the rights of its own citizens or of other persons who are under the protection of its laws. (Hilton v Guyot, 159 U.S. 113, 164, U.s. 1895).