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Internal Self-Determination in International Law: A Critical Third-World Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2013

Kalana SENARATNE*
Affiliation:
University of Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China kalanack@gmail.com

Abstract

Internal self-determination is a popular dimension of self-determination in international law. Often regarded as a right to democratic governance, its early promoters were largely Western states and international lawyers. A central observation made by such promoters was that the West favoured internal self-determination while the Third World did not. The present article will argue why this is a misconception and an outdated observation today. However, having argued so, the article proceeds to develop a Third World-oriented constructive critique of internal self-determination, suggesting why the Third World should nevertheless be more critically cautious and vigilant about the promotion of internal self-determination by Western actors as a distinct and concrete right in international law.

Information

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Asian Journal of International Law 2013 

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