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The right expression? - A study into the current legal system of self-determination and decolonization.

Vlachos, Elias LU (2024) LAGF03 20241
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
During the 20th century the world changed drastically. In the first half of the century, large areas of the world were under, usually, European rule and the people living there lacked
the ability to govern themselves. This changed radically under the second half and with new organizations, such as the United Nations, the global campaign for decolonization started. This was done under the banner of the right to self-determination. This was successful and by the end of the century only a small number of colonies remained. The campaign was driven not only by political means but also with legal developments. With decolonization almost complete, investigating the legal system and how it is implemented is of both interest and importance.

The... (More)
During the 20th century the world changed drastically. In the first half of the century, large areas of the world were under, usually, European rule and the people living there lacked
the ability to govern themselves. This changed radically under the second half and with new organizations, such as the United Nations, the global campaign for decolonization started. This was done under the banner of the right to self-determination. This was successful and by the end of the century only a small number of colonies remained. The campaign was driven not only by political means but also with legal developments. With decolonization almost complete, investigating the legal system and how it is implemented is of both interest and importance.

The purpose of this essay is therefore to clarify the proper application of the right to self-determination and what expressions of said right are tolerated under international law. The focus will be on how the right has been applied in the context of decolonization. To do this the essay uses the legal dogmatic method with a focus on sources from the United Nations and the International Court of Justice. The essay will primarily use an international chartering perspective, but it will also offer critical perspectives on the actual implementation of international law.

The essay finds that international law allows the right to self-determination to be implemented with a certain margin of discretion. The discretion only applies however if the expression meets certain standards, which in this case means that people need to be informed and able to express their opinion in a free and democratic manner. If used to pursue independence however, there is no need for any democratic expressions. In addition, the essay also finds that international law does not, currently, allow expression of self-determination that has the goal to preserve colonial rule. This means that in certain cases, such as the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), territories get stuck in a situation where they are unable to create a permanent solution for their political status. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Vid 1900-talets början så såg världskartan mycket annorlunda ut jämfört med idag. Stora delar av världens befolkning stod under ett främmande, ofta europeiskt, styre och saknade inom ramen för detta system en möjlighet att påverka sin regim. Detta förändrades drastiskt under andra halvan av 1900-talet där nya organisationer, som Förenta nationerna, fick allt större inflytande och spelrum. Detta ledde till en stor avkoloniseringskampanj som med stor framgång förändrade världspolitiken och vid 2000-talets början så återstod endast ett fåtal kolonier. Ett av de stora ledorden för denna förändring var rätten till självbestämmande. Denna rätt användes inte bara som ett politiskt verktyg utan den fick även legala följder. Eftersom... (More)
Vid 1900-talets början så såg världskartan mycket annorlunda ut jämfört med idag. Stora delar av världens befolkning stod under ett främmande, ofta europeiskt, styre och saknade inom ramen för detta system en möjlighet att påverka sin regim. Detta förändrades drastiskt under andra halvan av 1900-talet där nya organisationer, som Förenta nationerna, fick allt större inflytande och spelrum. Detta ledde till en stor avkoloniseringskampanj som med stor framgång förändrade världspolitiken och vid 2000-talets början så återstod endast ett fåtal kolonier. Ett av de stora ledorden för denna förändring var rätten till självbestämmande. Denna rätt användes inte bara som ett politiskt verktyg utan den fick även legala följder. Eftersom avkoloniseringen är så gott som avslutad så kan det vara både intressant och nyttigt att studera hur denna aspekt av folkrätten har utvecklats.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att klargöra den korrekta tillämpningen av självbestämmanderätten och vilka uttryck för den som är sanktionerad inom folkrätten. Detta endast inom ramen för avkolonisering. För att kunna uppnå detta syfte så använder sig uppsatsen av en rättsdogmatisk metod, med ett fokus på källor från Förenta nationerna samt avgöranden från Internationella Domstolen. Som utgångspunkt kommer denna uppsats använda sig av ett internationellt kartläggande perspektiv men den kommer också erbjuda kritiska perspektiv på den faktiska tillämpningen av folkrätten inom det berörda området.

Slutsatsen som uppsatsen når är att folkrätten ger självbestämmanderätten en relativt vid diskretion vid dess tillämpning. Inom ramen för avkolonisering måste dock uttrycket följa vissa krav, som att den berörda befolkningen måste vara informerad och få möjlighet att uttrycka sig med demokratiska medel. Ifall att målet med uttrycket är att uppnå självständighet så finns det dock inga krav på att använda demokratiska uttryck. Likaså innebär inte diskretionen att folkrätten tillåter att självbestämmanderätten uttrycks för att behålla kolonialt styre. Detta innebär att områden som exempelvis Falklandsöarna (Malvinerna) saknar möjlighet att hitta en permanent lösning på sin politiska status. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Vlachos, Elias LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20241
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Public international law, folkrätt
language
English
id
9152543
date added to LUP
2024-06-26 12:28:55
date last changed
2024-06-26 12:28:55
@misc{9152543,
  abstract     = {{During the 20th century the world changed drastically. In the first half of the century, large areas of the world were under, usually, European rule and the people living there lacked
the ability to govern themselves. This changed radically under the second half and with new organizations, such as the United Nations, the global campaign for decolonization started. This was done under the banner of the right to self-determination. This was successful and by the end of the century only a small number of colonies remained. The campaign was driven not only by political means but also with legal developments. With decolonization almost complete, investigating the legal system and how it is implemented is of both interest and importance.

The purpose of this essay is therefore to clarify the proper application of the right to self-determination and what expressions of said right are tolerated under international law. The focus will be on how the right has been applied in the context of decolonization. To do this the essay uses the legal dogmatic method with a focus on sources from the United Nations and the International Court of Justice. The essay will primarily use an international chartering perspective, but it will also offer critical perspectives on the actual implementation of international law.

The essay finds that international law allows the right to self-determination to be implemented with a certain margin of discretion. The discretion only applies however if the expression meets certain standards, which in this case means that people need to be informed and able to express their opinion in a free and democratic manner. If used to pursue independence however, there is no need for any democratic expressions. In addition, the essay also finds that international law does not, currently, allow expression of self-determination that has the goal to preserve colonial rule. This means that in certain cases, such as the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), territories get stuck in a situation where they are unable to create a permanent solution for their political status.}},
  author       = {{Vlachos, Elias}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The right expression? - A study into the current legal system of self-determination and decolonization.}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}