PUBLIC LAW II:
Public International
Law
Prof. Dr. Gleider Hernández
Professor of Public International
Law Institute for
International Law Faculty of
Law, KU Leuven
2019-2020
, Structure of
•lecture
Self-help in International Law
• Reprisals
• Countermeasures
o Defi nition of c o u n te rm e a su re s
o Limitations o n c o u n te rme a su re s
• Retorsion
• Economic Coercion
• ‘Unilateral sanctions’ by international
organisations
• Sanctions
o Collective sanctions
2 u nd e r UN
practice
, Self-help be f o re t h e Le a gue
Covenant and t h e UN Charter
• Sovereign equality requires
obligations to b e a c c e p t e d
consensually
• Decentralised international legal
order m ea n t that States t o o k
matters into their o w n h a n d s
• Breach of s u c h obligations allowed
for t h e u s e of non-forcible and
forcible m e a s u re s
• Non-forcible me a su res : from
diplomatic re b u ke s to trade
3
b l o c ka d e s
• Forcible m e a s u re s allowed for
a rm ed reprisals and ev en for t h e
Public International
Law
Prof. Dr. Gleider Hernández
Professor of Public International
Law Institute for
International Law Faculty of
Law, KU Leuven
2019-2020
, Structure of
•lecture
Self-help in International Law
• Reprisals
• Countermeasures
o Defi nition of c o u n te rm e a su re s
o Limitations o n c o u n te rme a su re s
• Retorsion
• Economic Coercion
• ‘Unilateral sanctions’ by international
organisations
• Sanctions
o Collective sanctions
2 u nd e r UN
practice
, Self-help be f o re t h e Le a gue
Covenant and t h e UN Charter
• Sovereign equality requires
obligations to b e a c c e p t e d
consensually
• Decentralised international legal
order m ea n t that States t o o k
matters into their o w n h a n d s
• Breach of s u c h obligations allowed
for t h e u s e of non-forcible and
forcible m e a s u re s
• Non-forcible me a su res : from
diplomatic re b u ke s to trade
3
b l o c ka d e s
• Forcible m e a s u re s allowed for
a rm ed reprisals and ev en for t h e
