Succession of States and the policies of International Law

State succession is a difficult area of international law, but the rules commonly associated with this field reflect certain general principles. The third preamble to the 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties and to the 1983 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of State Property, Archives and Debts refers to the need for codification and progressive development in this area “as a means for ensuring greater juridical security in international relations”. This presentation advances, and tests, the thesis that the law of state succession to a greater or lesser extent reflects principles of continuity, stability and justice. These principles can assist in characterizing the purposes of the law of State succession across various areas, including treaties, property and nationality, and they are indicative of more general policies in international law.

 

 

Daniel Costelloe is a counsel in the International Arbitration group at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in London, where is practice focuses on international arbitration and public international law. His academic research explores, among other areas, the law of treaties, state succession, international responsibility and the history of international law. He is the author of Legal Consequences of Peremptory Norms in International Law (CUP, 2017).

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The PIL Discussion Group hosts a weekly speaker event and light lunch and is a key focal point for PIL@Oxford. Topics involve contemporary and challenging issues in international law. Speakers include distinguished international law practitioners, academics, and legal advisers from around the world.

 

The group typically meets each Thursday during Oxford terms in The Old Library, All Souls College, with lunch commencing at 12:30. The speaker will commence at 12:45 and speak for about forty minutes, allowing about twenty five minutes for questions and discussion. The meeting should conclude before 2:00. Practitioners, academics and students from within and outside the University of Oxford are all welcome. No RSVP is necessary. Join the PIL Email List to receive information about the PIL Discussion Group meetings, as well as other PIL@Oxford news.

 

To join the Public International Law Discussion Group email list, which offers details of all events and other relevant information, send a message to: pil-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk . (You do not need to write any text in the body of the message, or even put anything in the Subject: line unless your mailer insists on it.) You will be sent a confirmation request, and once you reply to that, a message confirming your subscription will follow. Alternatively, you can send an email to Jenny Hassan to be added to the PIL mailing list.

 

Convenors of the Oxford Public International Law Discussion Group are Sachintha Dias Mudalige and Eirini Fasia.

 

The discussion group's meetings are part of the programme of the British Branch of the International Law Association and are supported by the Law Faculty and Oxford University Press.