The 2019 Chagos Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice is a decision of profound legal and political significance. Presented with a rare opportunity to pronounce on the right to self-determination and the rules governing decolonization, the ICJ responded with remarkable directness. The contributions to this book examine the Court's reasoning, the importance of the decision for the international system, and its consequences for the situation in the Chagos Archipelago in particular. Apart from bringing the Chagossians closer to the prospect of returning to the islands from which they were covertly expelled half a century ago, the decision and its political context may be understood as part of a broader shift in North/South relations, in which formerly dominant powers like the UK must come to terms with their waning influence on the world stage, and in which voices from former colonies are increasingly shaping the institutional and normative landscape.

Reflections on the ICJ's Chagos Advisory Opinion and its broader context: British colonialism, US military interests, and human rights violations.

About the Author
Thomas Burri is a Professor of International Law and European Law at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He has published numerous articles in international journals, including German Yearbook of International Law, European Journal of Risk Regulation, and Yearbook of European Law and two books, The Greatest Possible Freedom (2015) and Models of Autonomy? (2010). Jamie Trinidad is a Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Law at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge and Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. He is also a practising barrister. His publications include Self-Determination in Disputed Colonial Territories (Cambridge, 2018) and several articles in journals such as the British Yearbook of International Law, International and Comparative Law Quarterly and Leiden Journal of International Law.

Reviews
'... extremely interesting and worthwhile ... The editors of The International Court of Justice and Decolonisation are to be commended for providing a thorough and in-depth examination.' Miriam Bak McKenna, European Journal of International Law



Book Information
ISBN 9781108810203
Author Thomas Burri
Format Paperback
Page Count 329
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 479g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 18mm