SELF-DEFENCE AS A CIRCUMSTANCE PRECLUDING INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52152/ew1k4b20Keywords:
Self-defence; International Responsibility; State Responsibility; Use of Force; Armed Attack; Necessity and Proportionality; United Nations Charter; International Law CommissionAbstract
This study examines self-defence as a circumstance precluding international responsibility under public international law. It aims to clarify the concept of self-defence, trace its historical development, and analyse the legal conditions governing its exercise and its implications for the international responsibility of States. The study adopts a descriptive and analytical approach, focusing primarily on the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, particularly Articles 2(4) and 51, as well as Article 21 of the International Law Commission’s 2001 Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts. It also considers the contribution of international jurisprudence and legal scholarship to defining the scope and limits of this right. The study addresses the principal conditions associated with an armed attack and the requirements governing defensive action, including necessity, proportionality, the relationship between the response and the source of the attack, and the temporary nature of self-defence pending Security Council intervention. It highlights the distinction between the lawful exercise of self-defence and the unlawful use of force under the pretext of defending a State. The study concludes that self-defence may preclude the wrongfulness of a State’s conduct and consequently its international responsibility only when the applicable legal conditions are satisfied. It also emphasises the importance of precise legal interpretation, effective international oversight, and respect for the principles of necessity, proportionality, and good faith to prevent the abuse of self-defence and safeguard international peace and security.
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