Defying the Theoretical Constraints of State-Centric Approaches: A Review ofNon-State Actors in International Law

Abstract

This review ofNon-State Actors in International Law, edited by Math Noortmann, August Reinisch and Cedric Ryngaert (Hart Publishing, 2015), focuses on the constraints of state-centric approaches in accurately depicting the role and status of non-state actors in the international arena. As the book presents a comprehensive examination of the influence of diverse entities in a variety of fields, such limitations are evidenced and inevitably lead to the reassessment of novel theoretical standpoints, as well as to the recognition that a multidisciplinary approach is much needed in order to advance further studies on the issue.

The Plea of State of Necessity: A palatable normative framework for extraterritorial self-defense against Non-State Actors

“…The system, dating back to the San Francisco conference in 1945, was built by and for States. It has a clear state-centric dynamic embedded in it (Kotlik, 2017), reflective of the paradigm that governed international law at the time (Gill & Tibori-Szabó, 2019); the main (and almost sole) subjects of it were States. Individuals or private groups were held to have little or no agency in the legallyrelevant exchanges governed by this branch of the law (5) .…”