Background The principle nemo iudex in causa sua—no one should be a judge in their own cause—has deep roots in international law, yet its codification in the UN Charter has often been disregarded. Article 27(3) requires a State that is a party to a dispute to abstain from voting on related Security Council resolutions under Chapter VI, provided the matter is non-procedural. Although long viewed as dormant, the Russia–Ukraine war has revived interest in this principle. The last notable compliance with Article 27(3) dates back to the Eichmann case in 1961, when Argentina abstained. Since then, the rule’s relevance has been questioned, particularly amid Russia’s repeated vetoes of Ukraine-related resolutions following its 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 invasion. Given Russia’s clear status as a ‘party to the dispute,’ scholars and practitioners have seen an opportunity to reassert Article 27(3) and to crystallize a workable definition of that term.
Security Council
Page 1 of 31
Legal Limits for UNSC Action on Peace in Ukraine
The last weeks have seen a gradual increase of pressure on the Ukrainian leadership to succumb to Russia’s imperialist demands. In particular, the United States of America under the Trump Administration have repeated their calls for a “Peace Deal” between the two states at war. The Administration suspended military and intelligence aid to Ukraine after asserting that President…
Three Legal Issues on First Reading of Resolution 2773 (2025) on Eastern DRC
Introduction In this post, I explore three legal issues pertaining to Resolution 2773 (2025), adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 21 February 2025 in relation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This resolution addresses the ongoing offensive of the armed group M23 in the DRC, which started in January 2025…
Piracy and Undersea Cables: An Overlooked Interpretation of UNCLOS?
Recent events in the Baltic Sea and other places have highlighted the importance of undersea cables and pipelines for the global economy, and indeed our daily life. Fibre optic cables are the arteries of the modern world, transmitting over 99% of intercontinental data. While electricity and gas pipelines have less global significance, they remain crucial to regional and local economies. This blog argues…
UNSC Resolution 2774: The Implications of Equidistance for Ukraine and International Law
On February 24th, 2025, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted its first resolution on the matter. Resolution 2774 was adopted with ten votes in favour (Algeria, China, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, Russia, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, United States of America) and five abstentions (Denmark, France,…
- Page 1 of 31
- Last