War, Aggression and Self-Defence

329 Pages·2001·2.85 MB·English

by  Yoram Dinstein

War, Aggression and
Self-Defence,
Third edition
Yoram Dinstein
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
War,AggressionandSelf-Defence
Yoram Dinstein’s seminal textbook is an essential guide to the legal
issues of war and peace, armed attack, self-defence and enforcement
measurestaken under the aegis of the Security Council. This revised
third edition incorporates new material on the Kosovo air campaign,
‘humanitarianintervention’,recentresolutionsadoptedbytheSecurity
Council,andthelatestpronouncementsoftheInternationalCourtof
JusticeandtheInternationalCriminalTribunalfortheFormerYugos-
lavia.Alsodiscussedarenewtreaties,includingthe1998RomeStatute
ontheInternationalCriminalCourt,andcurrentstudiesoftheInterna-
tionalLawCommission.Inaddition,supplementarysectionsconsider,
forexample,enforcementactioncarriedout byregionalorganizations
underthe authorityof theSecurityCouncil.War,Aggressionand Self-
Defence remains a comprehensive and highly readable introduction to
the legal issues surrounding war and self-defence, and continues to
provideanindispensabletoolforstudentsandpractitionersofinterna-
tionallaw,internationalrelationsandmilitarystudies.
yoram dinsteinisHumboldtFellowattheMaxPlanckInstitutefor
InternationalLaw,Heidelberg.OtherpostshehasheldincludeProfes-
sorofInternationalLawaswellasPresidentofTelAvivUniversity,and
StocktonProfessorofInternationalLawattheUSNavalWarCollege.
ProfessorDinsteinhaspublishedextensivelyintheWeldofinternational
law.
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War, Aggression and
Self-Defence
YoramDinstein
Thirdedition
PUBLISHED BY CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS (VIRTUAL PUBLISHING)
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia

http://www.cambridge.org

First edition © Grotius Publications Limited 1988
Second edition © Cambridge University Press 1994
Third edition © Cambridge University Press 2001

This edition © Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing) 2003

First published in printed format 1988

A catalogue record for the original printed book is available
from the British Library and from the Library of Congress
Original ISBN 0 521 79344 0 hardback
Original ISBN 0 521 79758 6 paperback

ISBN 0 511 01228 4 virtual (netLibrary Edition)
Contents
IntroductiontotheThirdEdition pagexi
FromtheintroductiontotheFirstEdition xii
Tableofcases xiv
Tableoftreaties xvi
TableofSecurityCouncilresolutions xxii
TableofGeneralAssemblyresolutions xxiv
Listofabbreviations xxv
PartI Thelegalnatureofwar 1
1. Whatiswar? 3
A. ThedeWnitionofwar 3
(a) Thenumerousmeaningsofwar 3
(b) AnanalysisofOppenheim’sdeWnitionofwar 4
i. Inter-Stateandintra-Statewars 5
ii. Warinthetechnicalandinthematerialsense 9
iii. Totalwars,limitedwarsandincidentsshortofwar 10
iv. Warasanasymmetricalphenomenon 13
(c) AproposeddeWnitionofwar 14
B. Statusmixtus 15
(a) Peacetimestatusmixtus 16
(b) Wartimestatusmixtus 17
C. Theregionofwar 19
(a) TheterritoriesofthepartiestotheconXict 19
(b) Thehighseasandtheexclusiveeconomiczone 21
(c) Outerspace 23
D. Neutrality 23
(a) Thebasicprinciples 23
(b) Someconcreterules 24
i. Passageofbelligerentmilitaryunitsandwarmaterials 24
ii. Enrolmentinbelligerentarmedforces 25
iii. Militarysuppliestobelligerents 26
2. Thecourseofwar 29
A. Thebeginningofwar 29
(a) Warinthetechnicalsense 29
v
vi Contents
(b) Warinthematerialsense 32
B. Theterminationofwar 33
(a) Treatiesofpeace 33
i. ThesigniWcanceofatreatyofpeace 33
ii. Peacepreliminaries 36
iii. Thelegalvalidityofatreatyofpeace 37
(b) Armisticeagreements 39
(c) Othermodesofterminatingwar 44
i. Impliedmutualconsent 44
ii. Debellatio 45
iii. Unilateraldeclaration 46
C. Thesuspensionofhostilities 47
(a) DiVerenttypesofsuspensionofhostilities 47
i. Localcease-Wreagreement 48
ii. Generalcease-Wreagreement 49
iii. Cease-WreorderedbytheSecurityCouncil 49
(b) Thenatureofcease-Wre 51
(c) Denunciationandbreachofcease-Wre 53
PartII Theillegalityofwar 57
3. Ahistoricalperspectiveofthelegalstatusofwar 59
A. The‘justwar’doctrineinthepast 59
(a) TheRomanorigins 59
(b) Christiantheology 60
(c) The‘fathers’ofinternationallaw 61
B. Recentconceptsof‘justwar’ 63
(a) Kelsen’stheory 63
(b) ‘Warsofnationalliberation’ 64
(c) ‘Humanitarianintervention’ 66
C. Theextra-legalityofwar 69
D. Thelegalityofwar 71
E. Exceptionstothegenerallibertytogotowar 73
(a) Specialarrangements 73
(b) TheHagueConventions 74
(c) TheCovenantoftheLeagueofNations 75
4. Thecontemporaryprohibitionoftheuseofinter-Stateforce 78
A. TheKellogg–BriandPact 78
B. TheCharteroftheUnitedNations 80
(a) Theprohibitionoftheuseofinter-Stateforce 80
(b) Attemptstolimitthescopeoftheprohibition 83
C. Customaryinternationallaw 86
(a) Thegeneralprohibitionoftheuseofinter-Stateforce 86
(b) Therelationshipbetweencustomaryandconventionallaw 90
D. TreatiesotherthanthePactandtheCharter 91
E. Theprohibitionoftheuseofinter-Stateforceasjuscogens 93
(a) ThesigniWcanceofjuscogens 93
(b) HowcanjuscogensbemodiWed? 96
Contents vii
F. Stateresponsibility 98
(a) ApplicationofgeneralrulesofStateresponsibility 98
(b) Stateresponsibilityforinternationalcrimes 102
5. Thecriminalityofwarofaggression 106
A. Warofaggressionasacrimeagainstpeace 106
B. ThedeWnitionofaggression 114
C. Individualresponsibilityforcrimesagainstpeace 120
(a) Thescopeofthecrimes 120
i. Rationemateriae 120
ii. Rationepersonae 121
iii. Rationetemporis 123
(b) Mensrea 124
i. Mistakeoffact 126
ii. Mistakeoflaw 126
iii. Duress 127
iv. Insanity 128
(c) Inadmissibledefencepleas 128
i. Obediencetonationallaw 128
ii. Obediencetosuperiororders 129
iii. ActsofState 132
(d) Thepenalproceedings 133
6 Controversialconsequencesofthechangeinthelegal
statusofwar 135
A. Warinthetechnicalsense 136
B. Inconclusive‘policeaction’ 137
C. Equalapplicationofthejusinbello 140
(a) Self-defence 140
(b) Collectivesecurity 146
D. Impartialneutrality 147
E. Territorialchanges 151
PartIII Exceptionstotheprohibitionoftheuseof
inter-Stateforce 157
7 Theconceptofself-defence 159
A. Therightofself-defence 159
(a) Themeaningofself-defence 159
(b) Self-defenceasaright 161
(c) Self-defenceasan‘inherent’right 163
B. Self-defenceasaresponsetoanarmedattack 165
(a) Armedattackandpreventivewar 165
(b) Thescopeofanarmedattack 169
i. Thebeginningofanarmedattack 169
ii. Asmall-scalearmedattack 173
iii. Thelocaleofanarmedattack 176
iv. Thetargetofanarmedattack 179
v. Supportofarmedbandsandterrorists 181
viii Contents
C. Conditionsprecedenttotheexerciseofself-defence 183
D. TheroleoftheSecurityCouncil 185
(a) Thetwophasesrule 185
(b) TheoptionsbeforetheSecurityCouncil 187
(c) FailuretoreporttotheSecurityCouncil 189
8 Themodalityofindividualself-defence 192
A. Self-defenceinresponsetoanarmedattackbyaState 192
(a) Measuresshortofwar 192
i. On-the-spotreaction 192
ii. Defensivearmedreprisals 194
iii. Theprotectionofnationalsabroad 203
(b) War 207
i. Necessity 207
ii. Proportionality 208
iii. Immediacy 212
B. Self-defenceinresponsetoanarmedattackfromaState 213
(a) Extra-territoriallawenforcement 213
(b) ThepracticeofStates 218
(c) Webster’sformula 219
9. Collectiveself-defence 222
A. Themeaningofcollectiveself-defence 222
B. Collectiveself-defencetreaties 226
(a) Mutualassistancetreaties 227
(b) Militaryalliances 230
(c) Treatiesofguarantee 233
C. Thelegallimitationsofcollectiveself-defence 236
(a) TheprimacyoftheUNCharter 236
(b) Therequirementofanarmedattack 237
(c) Otherconditionsfortheexerciseofcollectiveself-defence 239
D. Themodalityofcollectiveself-defence 240
E. TheGulfWarandcollectiveself-defence 242
10. Collectivesecurity 246
A. Themeaningofcollectivesecurity 246
B. Thedecision-makingprocess 253
(a) ThedutiesincumbentonUNMemberStates 253
(b) TheresponsibilityoftheSecurityCouncil 255
C. AnoverviewoftheSecurityCouncil’srecord 256
(a) The‘ColdWar’era 256
(b) TheGulfWar 258
(c) TheyearssincetheoutbreakoftheGulfWar 261
D. Themechanismofemployingcollectiveforce 263
(a) Article42andtheabsenceofspecialagreements 263
(b) Peacekeepingforces 266
(c) EnforcementactionbeyondthepurviewofArticle42 268
E. IsthereanalternativetotheSecurityCouncil? 273
(a) TheGeneralAssembly 273
Contents ix
(b) TheInternationalCourtofJustice 276
i. ConcurrentorconsecutivecompetenceoftheCouncil
andtheCourt 276
ii. CantheCourtinvalidatebindingdecisionsadoptedby
theCouncil? 279
Conclusion 283
Indexofpersons 285
Indexofsubjects 292