Justifying the Unjustifiable: Russia’s Aggression against Ukraine, International Law, and Carl Schmitt’s “Theory of the Greater Space” (“<i>Großraumtheorie”</i>)
Journal: Chinese Journal of International Law
Year: 2023

Abstract Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been accompanied by attempts to justify this blatant violation of international law with reference to the accepted exceptions to the prohibition of the use of force. These attempts had to fail from the outset as the necessary preconditions were not given. More pernicious is, however, the endeavor to find a justification in an “alternative” system of international law. The respective arguments echo considerations popular in the first half of the 20