The course of war

Yoram Dinstein

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511920622.006

2 - The course of war

from Part I - The legal nature of war

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Yoram Dinstein

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Yoram Dinstein: Affiliation:
Tel-Aviv University

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War in the technical sense

79. War in the technical sense starts with a declaration of war (see supra 17. As the Eritrea Ethiopia Claims Commission enunciated in its 2005 Partial Award on Jus ad Bellum: ‘In international law, the essence of a declaration of war is an explicit affirmation of the existence of a state of war between belligerents’. A declaration of war is a unilateral and formal announcement, issued by the constitutionally competent authority of a State, setting the exact point at which war begins with a designated enemy (or enemies). Notwithstanding its unilateral character, a declaration of war ‘brings about a state of war irrespective of the attitude of the state to which it is addressed’.

80. According to Article 1 of Hague Convention (III) of 1907 Relative to the Commencement of Hostilities:

The contracting Powers recognize that hostilities between themselves must not commence without previous and explicit warning, in the form either of a declaration of war, giving reasons, or of an ultimatum with a conditional declaration of war.

Article 1 explicitly mentions that reasons for a declaration of war must be given. But the causes of wars cannot be seriously established on the basis of a self-serving unilateral declaration. The main value of a declaration of war is derived from the fact that it pinpoints the precise time when a state of war enters into force. This may have far-reaching implications in the domestic law of the Belligerent Parties (see supra 2). It will further give an important notice to neutral countries.

Type: Chapter
Information: War, Aggression and Self-Defence , pp. 30 - 62

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511920622.006 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2011

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