What is the role of the UN Security Council in resolving international disputes

Decide measures to be taken to restore international peace and security

Make recommendations for measures to be taken to restore international peace and security

Determine if threat to peace or act of aggression exists

What are the three ways in which to ground the jurisdiction of the International Court of justice? Is it

A compromis agreed between the parties, a compromissory clause in a treaty or overlapping declarations under an optional clause?

A compromise agreed between the parties, an arbitration clause in a treaty or overlapping jurisdiction of the international court of justice

A compromise agreed between the parties, a compromissory clause in a treaty or overlapping declarations under an option clause?

What reservation did the USA and Nicaragua have attached to their declarations under article 36(2) ICJ Statute

USA: The right to terminate on 6 months notice and Nicaragua: The right to terminate on notice

USA: The right to terminate on notice and Nicaragua: The right to terminate on 6 months notice

USA: The right to terminate on 12 months and Nicaragua: The right to terminate on 6 months notice

What is mediation under international law?

Involves third parties directed to assist disputing parties to reach settlement.

Formal dispute settlement mechanism that results in a legally binding determination.

What is arbitration under international law

Formal dispute settlement mechanism that results in a legally binding determination.

Submission to international courts such as ICJ for dispute settlement. Decisions only bind the States in the dispute, regarding the matters of the particular dispute.

What is judicial settlement of disputes under international law

Submission to international courts such as ICJ for dispute settlement. Decisions only bind the States in the dispute, regarding the matters of the particular dispute.

Formal dispute settlement mechanism that results in a legally binding determination.

If a claim before the ICJ affects the rights or obligations of a third state not present in the proceedings does this impact on the Court's jurisdiction?

The court will most likely choose to decline jurisdiction where the third party states' legal interests would not only be affected by a decision but would form the very subject matter of the decision. But it is not obliged to do so where the legal position of a third party state is indirectly affected.

The court will choose to decline jurisdiction where the third party states' legal interests would be affected by a decision in all circumstances.

The courts jurisdiction is absolute and it does not matter if the rights and obligations of a third party state not present would be affected.

What is the scope of the prohibition on the use of force in article 2 (4) of the UN Charter?

All states shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or any in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations

All states may refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state or any in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations

All states shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the sovereignty or political independence of any state or in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose of the ICJ statute.

What are the exceptions to this prohibition?

Collective and individual self-defence, threats and breaches to peace, acts of aggression

Threats and breaches to peace, acts of aggression

Individual self-defence, acts of aggression

Collective self-defence, threats and breaches to peace, acts of aggression

What is the doctrine of responsibility to protect?

Obligation of individual states and the international community to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

International obligation from states to promote the use of force.

International doctrine prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons.

The promotion of the protection of a state’s nationals and to take up claims against other states.

In the EJIL Talk article titled "The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" by Dan Joyner what did he say were the two trends in international relations that the Treaty was a product of?

Longstanding frustration of most of the states parties to NPT with the non-compliance of Nuclear weapon possessing state with the NPT's Disarmament provisions under article VI and the humanitarian initiative against nuclear weapons

Longstanding frustration of most of the states parties to NPT with the non-compliance of Nuclear weapon possessing state with the NPT's Disarmament provisions under article XVi and the humanitarian quest for nuclear weapons

Longstanding annoyance of Australia Bulgaria and Nepal all parties to the NPT with the non-compliance of Nuclear weapon possessing states such as Switzerland with the NPT's Disarmament provisions under article XV and the humanitarian initiative against nuclear weapons.

When did the ICJ state that it might be okay to launch a nuclear response in circumstanced of self defence?

In an extreme circumstance of self-defence, in which its survival would be at stake

In an extreme circumstance of self defence in which it believed that another state is going to launch a nuclear attack

International Law Tutorial Quiz

International Law

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Public International Law

Extradition (International law), Political Offence Exception, The Political Offense Exception (POE) serves as a critical safeguard in international extradition law, allowing a requested state to refuse the surrender of a fugitive if their alleged crime is of a "political character." These offenses are categorized into two types: **pure political offenses**, such as treason or espionage, which target the state's political organization without harming individuals; and **relative political offenses**, which are common crimes like robbery committed with a political motive. To distinguish between these, courts apply various judicial tests. For instance, the **Political Incidence Test** (established in *In re Castioni*) focuses on whether the act was incidental to a political disturbance, while the **Swiss Proportionality Test** weighs the political end against the criminal means used, denying the exception if the harm caused is disproportionate. In the context of **state succession**, the application of extradition treaties depends largely on the underlying legal theory adopted by the new sovereign. Under **Universal Succession**, the new state inherits all prior treaties and obligations, ensuring legal continuity. Conversely, the **Clean Slate (Tabula Rasa) Theory**, often seen in decolonization, suggests that new states are not bound by the predecessor’s treaties, potentially creating "safe havens" for fugitives until new agreements are reached. Practical examples include the **Dissolution of the USSR**, where Russia acted as the "continuator" state inheriting treaties, and the **Partition of India and Pakistan**, where a devolution agreement ensured that colonial-era treaties remained in effect. Despite its protective intent, the POE faces **modern erosion** to ensure that heinous acts do not go unpunished. Specific limitations, such as the **Attentat Clause**, explicitly exclude the assassination of a head of state from being considered a political offense. Similarly, modern treaties and conventions (like the *Meunier* ruling) exclude **terrorism**, hijacking, and crimes against humanity from the exception, viewing these acts as attacks on the general social order rather than legitimate political dissent. This evolution reflects a growing international consensus that the gravity of certain crimes—such as those seen in the **Rainbow Warrior case study**—far outweighs any claimed political motivation, shifting the legal focus toward human rights and the prevention of torture.

Here are 40 keywords related to State Succession Theories, categorized for clarity for International Relations students: ### **The Core Theories** 1. Universal Succession 2. Clean Slate Doctrine (Tabula Rasa) 3. Popular Continuity Theory 4. Organic Substitution Theory 5. Self-Abnegation Theory 6. Negative Theory 7. Communist Theory (of Succession) ### **Key Actors and Status** 8. Predecessor State 9. Successor State 10. Continuator State (Continuity) 11. Newly Independent State (NIS) 12. International Legal Personality 13. Sovereignty ### **Types of Succession Events** 14. Decolonization 15. Dissolution (Dismemberment) 16. Secession (Separation) 17. Unification (Merger) 18. Cession (Territory Transfer) 19. Moving Treaty Frontiers (Principle) ### **What is Inherited (Subject Matter)** 20. Treaty Succession 21. Localized Treaties (Dispositive Treaties) 22. Political Treaties 23. State Property (Assets) 24. State Debts (Public Liabilities) 25. Odious Debt 26. State Archives 27. Acquired Rights (*Jura Quaesita*) 28. Nationality (Citizenship Status) 29. Membership in International Organizations (e.g., UN Seat) ### **Legal Frameworks and Principles** 30. Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties (1978) 31. Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of State Property, Archives and Debts (1983) 32. Customary International Law 33. International Law Commission (ILC) 34. Equity (Equitable Proportion) 35. Unjust Enrichment 36. *Pacta Sunt Servanda* (Sanctity of Treaties) ### **Specific Issues & Historical Context** 37. Devolution Agreements 38. Badinter Commission (Yugoslavia) 39. Extradition Treaties (in succession) 40. Political Offense Exception (in revolutionary succession)

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