Necessity and the use of force: A special regime

Abstract

This chapter examines the relevance of the principle of necessity to the international rules on the use of force. It claims that necessity has been the source of the international rules on the use of force which as independent titles manifest themselves in institutional as well as in customary forms. It also claims that the use of force constitutes a special regime of international law which is distinct from the law of state responsibility with which it however interacts. © 2011 Stichting T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague, and the authors.