PROBLEM 1:
1. What is (internal and external) self-determination and what are the conditions thereof?
2. Is a declaration of independence lawful under international law?
3. Is secession lawful under international law?
4. In which way is the succession of rights and duties of (new) states arranged?
1. What is (internal and external) self-determination and what are the conditions thereof?
- Self-determination: stipulates that all peoples have a right to freely determine their political status
and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
Art. 1 UN Charter.
- The most controversial aspect of the right to self-determination concerns the extent to which it
gives a section of a population a right secede from an existing state in the absence of acceptance by
the government of the ‘mother-state’.
Internal self-determination: the right to self-determination of a people is normally fulfilled by
INTERNAL self-determination (autonomy) according to which a people pursue their political,
economic, social and cultural development within the framework of an existing state.
exercise autonomy within the framework of a mother State.
als je recht op zelfbeschikking gewoon uit kan voeren, bv tradities enz., hoef je je niet af te
scheiden. Dan heb je internal self-determination.
External self-determination: this arises ‘only in the most extreme of cases’. It includes the option of
seceding. According to the Court, it is undisputed that colonial people under imperial rule and other
people who find themselves subject to alien subjugation, domination or exploitation have a right to
external self-determination that may entitle them to create their own independent state.
ALIEN: by a foreign country. Friesland: not the Netherlands, but Germany for example.
(Exception: remedial seccession).
2. Is a declaration of independence lawful under international law?
KOSOVO CASE: the territory of Kosovo is the subject of a dispute between Serbia and the Republic of
Kosovo established by the declaration.
- Para. 82, 83, 84.
CONCLUSION: there is no applicable prohibition of declarations of independence.
BUT when a country wants to separate (external self-determination), it has to satisfy the
conditions of: colonization OR alien subjugation, domination or exploitation.
3. Is secession lawful under international law?
- Secession: separating yourself from another state.
- Remedial secession: an additional right to secede for people in cases of extreme oppressions and
the almost total denial of meaningful internal self-determination, accepting such a right requires
truly exceptional circumstances. ONLY WAY OUT, REMEDY.
- Safeguard clause: stipulates that there can be no question of remedial secession in a state where
the government represents the whole of the people or peoples within its territory on a basis of
equality and without discrimination.
Als mensen goed behandeld worden is er geen reden voor remedial secession.
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, 4. In which way is the succession of rights and duties of (new) states arranged?
- State succession (staatsopvolging): state succession concerns ‘the replacement of one state by
another in the responsibility for the international relations of territory’.
Vervanging van de ene staat door de andere.
The state loses control over tis partial or whole territory. It is the merging of two or more States.
Two conventions on succession of states:
1. The 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties.
2. The 1983 Vienna Convention on Succession of Sates in Respect of State Property, Archives and
Debts.
- CLEAN STATE APPROACH: the emerging state is not bound by the treaties and agreements
concluded by its predecessor. SO, the successor state is free to become or not to become a party to
treaties entered into by the predecessor state.
- Exceptions clean state approach:
1. The principle of uti possidetis juris: according to which geographical boundaries created by
treaties remain in force regardless of whether or not the boundaries coincide with (new) etnic, tribal,
religious or political affiliations.
2. A second (possible) exception: concerns obligations under human rights and humanitarian law
conventions. If a state breaks apart and stops to exist, as was the case with the former Yugoslavia,
the clean-state approach would mean that the population of the seceding territory stops to be
protected by such conventions until the emerging state (maybe) decides to become a party.
- There is ‘automatic State succession to multilateral humanitarian treaties in the broad sense, i.e.,
treaties of universal charachter which express fundamental human rights’.
This protects the individuals from the new state. This is a principle, it is not codified in law.
Stappenplan Walther:
1. De onafhankelijkheidsverklaring Kosovo: je mag je als land onafhankelijk verklaren, maar je mag
er geen rechten aan ontlenen. Daarvoor heb je stappen nodig.
2. Internal self-determination: kunnen wij als volk binnen ons land onze identiteit behouden? Kunnen
wij bepaalde tradities begaan enz. dan heb je geen recht om je af te scheiden.
3. External self-determination: dan external, als je een kolonie bent, alien subjugation, domination,
exploitation. Dan mag je je afscheiden.
Laatste mogelijkheid: 4. Remedial succession: als het deel van de bevolking dat zich wil
afscheiden, dat zij in een bepaalde mate onderdrukt zijn dat zij zich ook mogen afscheiden. DIT IS
CONTROVERSIEEL MAAR NOG GEEN RECHT.
PROBLEM 3:
1. What is customary international law?
2. What is the relationship between treaty and custom? or: What if a treaty norm collides with a
customary international law rule? What if they coexist?
3. How should a treaty be interpreted?
1. What is customary international law?
- Often in societies, the way things have always been done becomes the way that things MUST be
done. It is based on everyday interaction of states.
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1. What is (internal and external) self-determination and what are the conditions thereof?
2. Is a declaration of independence lawful under international law?
3. Is secession lawful under international law?
4. In which way is the succession of rights and duties of (new) states arranged?
1. What is (internal and external) self-determination and what are the conditions thereof?
- Self-determination: stipulates that all peoples have a right to freely determine their political status
and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
Art. 1 UN Charter.
- The most controversial aspect of the right to self-determination concerns the extent to which it
gives a section of a population a right secede from an existing state in the absence of acceptance by
the government of the ‘mother-state’.
Internal self-determination: the right to self-determination of a people is normally fulfilled by
INTERNAL self-determination (autonomy) according to which a people pursue their political,
economic, social and cultural development within the framework of an existing state.
exercise autonomy within the framework of a mother State.
als je recht op zelfbeschikking gewoon uit kan voeren, bv tradities enz., hoef je je niet af te
scheiden. Dan heb je internal self-determination.
External self-determination: this arises ‘only in the most extreme of cases’. It includes the option of
seceding. According to the Court, it is undisputed that colonial people under imperial rule and other
people who find themselves subject to alien subjugation, domination or exploitation have a right to
external self-determination that may entitle them to create their own independent state.
ALIEN: by a foreign country. Friesland: not the Netherlands, but Germany for example.
(Exception: remedial seccession).
2. Is a declaration of independence lawful under international law?
KOSOVO CASE: the territory of Kosovo is the subject of a dispute between Serbia and the Republic of
Kosovo established by the declaration.
- Para. 82, 83, 84.
CONCLUSION: there is no applicable prohibition of declarations of independence.
BUT when a country wants to separate (external self-determination), it has to satisfy the
conditions of: colonization OR alien subjugation, domination or exploitation.
3. Is secession lawful under international law?
- Secession: separating yourself from another state.
- Remedial secession: an additional right to secede for people in cases of extreme oppressions and
the almost total denial of meaningful internal self-determination, accepting such a right requires
truly exceptional circumstances. ONLY WAY OUT, REMEDY.
- Safeguard clause: stipulates that there can be no question of remedial secession in a state where
the government represents the whole of the people or peoples within its territory on a basis of
equality and without discrimination.
Als mensen goed behandeld worden is er geen reden voor remedial secession.
1
, 4. In which way is the succession of rights and duties of (new) states arranged?
- State succession (staatsopvolging): state succession concerns ‘the replacement of one state by
another in the responsibility for the international relations of territory’.
Vervanging van de ene staat door de andere.
The state loses control over tis partial or whole territory. It is the merging of two or more States.
Two conventions on succession of states:
1. The 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties.
2. The 1983 Vienna Convention on Succession of Sates in Respect of State Property, Archives and
Debts.
- CLEAN STATE APPROACH: the emerging state is not bound by the treaties and agreements
concluded by its predecessor. SO, the successor state is free to become or not to become a party to
treaties entered into by the predecessor state.
- Exceptions clean state approach:
1. The principle of uti possidetis juris: according to which geographical boundaries created by
treaties remain in force regardless of whether or not the boundaries coincide with (new) etnic, tribal,
religious or political affiliations.
2. A second (possible) exception: concerns obligations under human rights and humanitarian law
conventions. If a state breaks apart and stops to exist, as was the case with the former Yugoslavia,
the clean-state approach would mean that the population of the seceding territory stops to be
protected by such conventions until the emerging state (maybe) decides to become a party.
- There is ‘automatic State succession to multilateral humanitarian treaties in the broad sense, i.e.,
treaties of universal charachter which express fundamental human rights’.
This protects the individuals from the new state. This is a principle, it is not codified in law.
Stappenplan Walther:
1. De onafhankelijkheidsverklaring Kosovo: je mag je als land onafhankelijk verklaren, maar je mag
er geen rechten aan ontlenen. Daarvoor heb je stappen nodig.
2. Internal self-determination: kunnen wij als volk binnen ons land onze identiteit behouden? Kunnen
wij bepaalde tradities begaan enz. dan heb je geen recht om je af te scheiden.
3. External self-determination: dan external, als je een kolonie bent, alien subjugation, domination,
exploitation. Dan mag je je afscheiden.
Laatste mogelijkheid: 4. Remedial succession: als het deel van de bevolking dat zich wil
afscheiden, dat zij in een bepaalde mate onderdrukt zijn dat zij zich ook mogen afscheiden. DIT IS
CONTROVERSIEEL MAAR NOG GEEN RECHT.
PROBLEM 3:
1. What is customary international law?
2. What is the relationship between treaty and custom? or: What if a treaty norm collides with a
customary international law rule? What if they coexist?
3. How should a treaty be interpreted?
1. What is customary international law?
- Often in societies, the way things have always been done becomes the way that things MUST be
done. It is based on everyday interaction of states.
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