International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention: History, Theory, and Interactions with Other Principles (OUP 2024)

The principle of non-intervention is one of the most venerable principles of international law. Although not expressly mentioned in the Charter of the United Nations, at least as an inter-state prohibition, the principle currently appears in a plethora of treaties and UN General Assembly resolutions and has been invoked by states of all geographical and political denominations. Despite this, the determination of its exact content has remained an enigma.

In his new book, International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention: History, Theory, and Interactions with Other Principles, Marco Roscini solves this enigma by exploring what constitutes an 'intervention' in international law and when interventions are unlawful. These questions are approached from three different perspectives: historical, theoretical, and systemic. Through a comprehensive survey of primary documents and of over 200 cases of intervention from the mid-18th century to the present day, as well as an extensive literature search, the book provides an in-depth analysis of the principle of non-intervention which links it to fundamental notions of international law, including sovereignty, use of force, self-determination, and human rights protection.

Marco Roscini is Professor of International Law at Westminster Law School. He is also Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and a Visiting Professor of International Law at the University of Trento, Italy.

Prof. Roscini has a PhD from Sapienza University of Rome and has published widely in the field of international law. He is the author of three monographs: Le zone denuclearizzate (Nuclear weapon-free zones, Giappichelli 2003), Cyber Operations and the Use of Force in International Law (Oxford University Press 2014) and International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention: History, Theory, and Interactions with Other Principles (Oxford University Press 2024). He is also the co-editor of Non-proliferation Law as a Special Regime (Cambridge University Press 2012) and the author of several articles and chapters in important international peer-reviewed journals and edited books. His publications have been widely cited in legal literature and judicial decisions.

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