Jump to Content Jump to Main Navigation

Part V Revival of Classical Concepts?, Ch.41 Hot Pursuit

William C. Gilmore

From: The Oxford Handbook of the Use of Force in International Law

Edited By: Marc Weller

From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2023. All Rights Reserved.date: 05 October 2023

Subject(s):
Self-defence — Reprisals — Maritime boundaries — Flag state — Territorial sea — Coastal states — UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) — Customary international law

This chapter examines the doctrine of ‘hot pursuit’ used by the state to exercise its coercive powers beyond national territory for law enforcement purposes. It discusses hot pursuit by sea, land, and air in the context of international law, particularly with respect to self-defence and reprisal. Whilst hot pursuit is well recognized in the customary international law of the sea, it has yet to achieve that form of normative recognition in relation to pursuit on land or by air. The chapter considers the debate over hot pursuit as a legal justification for cross-border military incursions independent of the right of self-defence and describes the concept of extended constructive presence before concluding with an analysis of hot pursuit in a use of force context.

Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. Please, subscribe or login to access all content.