Statehood, Territory, and International Spaces

Giovanni Distefano, Ph.D. (2000, Geneva), is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Neuchâtel and at the Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (Geneva). He has published and edited books, including Fundamentals of Public International Law (Brill, 2019) and International Law and the Use of Force: Enchaining Ares (Brill, 2024).

• AbbreviationsIntroductionIntroductory Note to this EditionProlegomena: State, Sovereignty and SpaceA State: The Monad of Contemporary Public International LawB Territoryi The Different Components and the Characteristics of State Territoryii The Legal Relationship between State and Territory: a Sampling of Theories on Territorial Sovereigntyiii State Succession and Territorial ChangesPart 1The Technique Creation, Extinction and Modification of Title of Territorial Sovereignty1 The Concept of Legal TitleA The So-Called “Modes of Acquisition” of Title to TerritoryB Towards a New Articulation of the Concept of Title to Territorial SovereigntyC Strength or Relative Weight of Territorial Title: the ‘Gradations’ of Legal Title2 Acquisition and Loss of Title of Territorial Sovereignty by Conventional Juridical Act: The Territorial Treaty and Its SpecificitiesA The Principle of Stability and Permanence of BordersB Nemo plus iuris ad alium transferre quam ipse haberetC The Principle of the Relative Effect of TreatiesD Agreements with ‘Native Rulers’E The ‘Plebiscite’ as a Condition for the Validity of Territorial Change3 Acquisition and Loss of of the Title of Territorial Sovereignty by Juridical FactA AcquiescenceB EstoppelC Tacit Agreementi Tacit Agreement Modifying or Terminating Territorial Treatiesii Tacit Agreement as an Autonomous Source of Territorial TitlesD Historical Consolidation of Territorial Titles or the “Complex Juridical Fact”i The Concept and Its Genesisii Its Tormented Jurisprudential Life4 The (Presumptive) Dilemma between Formal Legal Title and EffectivenessA The Effective Occupation of terra nulliusB The Paradigms of the Antinomy Legal Title (titulus) / Effectiveness (modus)i Immemorial Possessionii Disputed Possessioniii Usucapion in International Law: a Highly Controversial ConceptPart 2Territorial Polemology Territorial Titles in Light of Anomalous, Deviant and Borderline Situations5 Title of Territorial Sovereignty and the Threat or Use of ForceA Conquest, Forcible Annexation, debellatioB Illegal Territorial Situationsi Recognition and “Adjudication” of Territories before 1945ii The Invalidation of Illegal Territorial Situations and the “Adjudication” of Territories under the UN Charter (After 1945)iii The Principle of the Inadmissibility of the Acquisition of Territory by Force and the Obligation of Non-recognition6 The Title of Territorial Sovereignty and the Principle of the Right of Peoples to Self-determinationA As a Basis for the Title of Territorial Sovereigntyi The Genesis of the Principleii Strengthening of the Principle and Extension of Its Scope of Applicationiii The Institutional Dimension: Who Makes the Determination?iv The Presumptive Contradiction with the Principle of uti PossidetisB Distinguished from Secessioni Successful Violent Secessions and the Birth of New Independent States: The Exceptionii Unsuccessful Violent Secessions: the Ruleiii Two (Currently) Controversial Cases: Kosovo and CrimeaC A (Truly) Sui-generis Case: Palestine (1998–2012–Present Day)7 The State in All Its StatesA Puppet StatesB De facto StatesC Failed or “Failing” StatesD Drowning States: Looming Deterritorialisation of Sovereignty?Part 3Territorial Irenicism Specific Territorial Situations and Regimes8 The Pertinacious Sovereignty: Traditional Territorial RegimesA Divorce between ius nudum and exercitium iuris, as well as between Sovereignty and Ownershipi Divorce between Sovereignty and Its Exerciseii Sovereignty and Ownership RightsB Servitudes in International Law (Article 12 (1) vcss 1978)C Objective Territorial Régimes (Article 12 (2) vcss 1978)D Condominium and CoimperiumE Spheres of InfluenceF Peaceful OccupationG International Protectoratesi Notionii Formsiii Some Specific FeaturesH Neutralised or Demilitarised Territoriesi Demilitarisation of Territoriesii Neutralisation of States or Parts of their Territories9 The Deterritorialisation of Space: Indirect and Direct International AdministrationsA The League of Nations Mandate Systemi Origins, Concepts and Purposesii Typology of Mandates and Supervisory Systemiii Travaux Préparatoiresiv The Juridical Contextv International and Municipal Case LawB Trusteeship System of the United Nationsi The Succession of Mandates within the United Nations International Trusteeship Administrationii Affinities and Differences with the International Trusteeship Administration Established by the UN Charteriii The Legacy of the Mandate System in the UN Trusteeship AdministrationC International Cities and Territoriesi The Free City of Danzigii The Tangier International Zoneiii The Memel Territory10 The Direct International Administration of TerritoriesA Within the League of Nationsi The Saar Territory Governing Commission and Its Sequel after wwiiii The Leticia Administration Commission (1933–1934)B Direct International Administration by the UN: a Very Brief SamplingIndex