Part IV Action on Behalf of Peoples and Populations, Ch.37 Intervention by Invitation

Subject(s):

Belligerents — Collective security — Armed conflict, international — Armed conflict, non-international — Regional organizations — UN Charter — International crimes — Terrorism — Terrorism, financing — Crimes against humanity — War crimes — Genocide

This chapter examines the debate concerning a state’s intervention in internal armed conflicts based on invitation, either from the government or from a rebel group fighting against the government. It looks at the issues that arise from intervention by invitation, particularly those relating to the territorial integrity of the state, the status of the actors involved, the nature of the consent, and implications for international law in general and for politics and human rights in particular. The chapter first considers the traditional view of intervention by invitation and the recent challenges to that view. It then discusses the negative equality principle as it applies to intervention in civil wars, as well as the link between intervention by invitation and democratic legitimacy. It also analyses the position of the UN Security Council on intervention by invitation.