The International Law Concept Of Neutrality In The 21st Century

Even though 'neutrality' - the non-participation of states in international armed conflicts - is a well-known concept of traditional international public law, its value in the 21st century is disputed. Some regard the concept as obsolete, while others still view it as an important contribution to a peaceful world. This book analyzes the contemporary international law concept of neutrality. At the heart lies the question of the present-day value of neutrality for international law. For a deeper understanding of the legal concept, a historical overview of neutrality is followed by a presentation of the different types of neutrality, along with a look at the remaining neutral states of the 21st century. An examination of the sources of neutrality law, its scope of application, as well as the detailed rights and duties of neutral States will answer the question of what it entails nowadays to be neutral in the legal sense. A clear distinction between the law and politics of neutrality is also important. Special attention is given to the traditional problem of exporting war materials, along with the newer developments of private militaries and security companies, as well as cyber warfare. The focus of the book lies on Switzerland as the archetype of a contemporary neutral state. (Series: Dike Law Books) [Subject: Public International Law, Neutrality Law, Swiss Law]

The law of neutrality - the corpus of legal rules regulating the relationship between belligerents and States taking no part in hostilities - assumed its modern form in a world in which the waging of war was unconstrained. The neutral State enjoyed territorial inviolability to the extent that it adhered to the obligations attaching to its neutral status and thus the law of neutrality provided spatial parameters for the conduct of hostilities. Yet the basis on which the law of neutrality developed - the extra-legal character of war - no longer exists. Does the law of neutrality continue to survive in the modern era? If so, how has it been modified by the profound changes in the law on the use of force and the law of armed conflict? This book argues that neutrality endures as a key concept of the law of armed conflict. The interaction between belligerent and nonbelligerent States continues to require legal regulation, as demonstrated by a number of recent conflicts, including the Iraq War of 2003 and the Mavi Marmara incident of 2010. By detailing the rights and duties of neutral states and demonstrating how the rules of neutrality continue to apply in modern day conflicts, this restatement of law of neutrality will be a useful guide to legal academics working on the law of armed conflict, the law on the use of force, and the history of international law, as well as for government and military lawyers seeking comprehensive guidance in this difficult area of the law.

Neutrality is a legal relationship between a belligerent State and a State not participating in a war, namely a neutral State. The law of neutrality is a body of rules and principles that regulates the legal relations of neutrality. The law of neutrality obliges neutral States to treat all belligerent States impartially and to abstain from providing military and other assistance to belligerents. The law of neutrality is a branch of international law that developed in the nineteenth century, when international law allowed unlimited freedom of sovereign States to resort to war. Thus, there has been much debate as to whether such a branch of law remains valid in modern international law, which generally prohibits war and the use of force by States. While there has been much debate regarding the current status of neutrality in modern international law, there is a general agreement among scholars as to the basic features of the traditional law of neutrality. Wani challenges the conventional understanding of the traditional neutrality by re-examining the historical development of the law of neutrality from the sixteenth century to 1945. The modification of the conventional understanding will provide a fundamentally new framework for discussing the current status of neutrality in modern international law.

Now available as an ebook for the first time, this 2000 title in the Melland Schill Studies in International Law series is a survey of the history of law of neutrality from its mediaeval roots to the end of the twentieth century. The theme is the eternal clash between the rights of neutrals and belligerents - between the right of belligerents to defeat their enemies, and the right of neutrals to trade freely with all parties. Over the centuries, belligerent powers have devised various legal means of restricting neutrals from trading with their enemies, such as the law of blockade and contraband carriage. At the same time, neutral traders have done their best to evade and circumvent these restrictions. This book traces the evolution of state practice, together with the debates over the relevant doctrinal issues and the various attempts to reform and codify the law of neutrality.

In a tension-filled world characterized by opposing blocs of nations, the pursuit of the policy of neutrality by a few states such as Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and Austria may conjure up the vista of a peaceful oasis. But what is the actual meaning of neutrality at present, and what are the rights and obligations of governments that claim to be neutral? Are there differences in the concepts of neutrality as embraced by individual states? Have the legal concepts of neutrality been changing over time and especially during the last few decades? And can and do states adopt neutral stances on selected international issues while remaining partisan on others and what consequences flow from such foreign policy behavior? These and other questions regarding neutrality are examined and discussed in this volume co-published with the Institute for Comparative Study of Public Policy at the University of New Orleans.

International law and armed conflict exist in a symbiotic relationship. In some cases, law shapes conflict proactively by imposing normative limits in advance of the appearance of proscribed conduct. Much more commonly, armed conflict either reveals lacunae in the law or demonstrates how law designed for yesterday's wars falls short when applied to contemporary conflict. When that happens, international law reacts by allowing provisions to fall into desuetude, embracing new interpretations of existing prescriptions, or generating new norms through practice or codification. In the 21st Century, both international security and armed conflict are the subject of arguably unprecedented sea changes. As a result, claims that both the" jus ad bellum" and "jus in bello" are unwieldy and ill-fitting in the context of modern hostilities have surfaced prominently. Whether one agrees with such dire assessments, what has become clear is that armed conflict is increasingly exposing faultlines in the law governing the resort to force. The intent of this collection of essays in honour of Professor Yoram Dinstein on the occasion of his 70th birthday is to explore such faultlines, first by identifying them and then by assessing their consequences. In a sense, then, the essays, contributed by the top minds in the field, will serve to assist academics and practitioners to anticipate pressure on the law governing armed conflict and, to the extent possible, react accordingly. Paralleling Professor Dinstein's classic works - "War, Aggression, and Self-Defence and The Conduct of Hostilities Under the Law of International Armed Conflict "? the book addresses both "ius ad bellum" and "ius in bello" topics.

The essays in this collection cover not only multiple countries, but also multiple aspects of the concept of neutrality: political, economic, cultural and legal. These case studies have led to a re-evaluation of the notion of neutrality, and the role of neutrals, during the First World War, making this collection of great value to all scholars of neutrality, the history of individual neutral countries, and of the war itself.

Emmanuelle Jouannet explores the concept of international law from the European Enlightenment to the post-Cold War world.