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The use of force

Gunneflo, Markus LU (2025) p.337-346
Abstract

In the 1960s and 1970s, Third World diplomats and jurists developed a distinct understanding of the use of force in international law. Two conclusions emerged from the understanding that colonial rule had been a “permanent aggression” against their territories: Firstly, a right to self-defense against colonial domination is a necessary corollary to the right to self-determination in the face of violent repression to maintain the colonial status quo. Secondly, a broad prohibition against neo-colonial interventions whether of a political, economic or military nature is a minimum criterion for international law's break with its colonial past. This chapter revisits the legacy of an anti-colonial use of force regime as part of a broader... (More)

In the 1960s and 1970s, Third World diplomats and jurists developed a distinct understanding of the use of force in international law. Two conclusions emerged from the understanding that colonial rule had been a “permanent aggression” against their territories: Firstly, a right to self-defense against colonial domination is a necessary corollary to the right to self-determination in the face of violent repression to maintain the colonial status quo. Secondly, a broad prohibition against neo-colonial interventions whether of a political, economic or military nature is a minimum criterion for international law's break with its colonial past. This chapter revisits the legacy of an anti-colonial use of force regime as part of a broader project to repurpose international law for the post-colonial era. I then turn to investigate current developments in use of force against this reconstruction.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Customary international law, Friendly Relations Declaration, Post-colonial, TWAIL, UN Charter, Use of force
host publication
Research Handbook on Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL)
pages
10 pages
publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105025867101
ISBN
9781789901528
9781789901511
DOI
10.4337/9781789901528.00037
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f66c24ed-dccb-4d0d-bb38-11280efea2cf
date added to LUP
2026-02-23 13:09:25
date last changed
2026-06-16 04:25:59
@inbook{f66c24ed-dccb-4d0d-bb38-11280efea2cf,
  abstract     = {{<p>In the 1960s and 1970s, Third World diplomats and jurists developed a distinct understanding of the use of force in international law. Two conclusions emerged from the understanding that colonial rule had been a “permanent aggression” against their territories: Firstly, a right to self-defense against colonial domination is a necessary corollary to the right to self-determination in the face of violent repression to maintain the colonial status quo. Secondly, a broad prohibition against neo-colonial interventions whether of a political, economic or military nature is a minimum criterion for international law's break with its colonial past. This chapter revisits the legacy of an anti-colonial use of force regime as part of a broader project to repurpose international law for the post-colonial era. I then turn to investigate current developments in use of force against this reconstruction.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gunneflo, Markus}},
  booktitle    = {{Research Handbook on Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL)}},
  isbn         = {{9781789901528}},
  keywords     = {{Customary international law; Friendly Relations Declaration; Post-colonial; TWAIL; UN Charter; Use of force}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{337--346}},
  publisher    = {{Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.}},
  title        = {{The use of force}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781789901528.00037}},
  doi          = {{10.4337/9781789901528.00037}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}