The Rules-Based Order, International Law and the British Indian Ocean Territory
Do as I Say, Not as I Do
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21971263 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samuel Bashfield (0000-0001-9337-9694, Australian National University, corresponding author), Elena Katselli Proukaki (0000-0002-6336-4026, Newcastle University) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 713-737 |
| Publication date | 2022-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | German Law Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2071-8322 • E-ISSN: 2071-8322 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/glj.2022.44 |
| OpenAlex | W4283701544 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 3 |
Perpetuating Britain’s controversial administration of the Chagos Archipelago (BIOT – British Indian Ocean Territory) raises questions about the UK’s commitment to the rules-based order and international law. This interdisciplinary article examines British administration of the Chagos Archipelago by taking a legal-international relations perspective. It provides an overview to the rules-based order concept and its relation with international law, briefly examines the Territory’s history, and outlines how BIOT violates the principles enshrined in the rules-based order concept, specifically promotion of self-determination, prohibition of forced displacement and respect for international institutions. This study is significant due to its timing – set in a period of increased international pressure on the United Kingdom to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius – and also significant in a period of increased rules-based order strain throughout the Indo-Pacific. This article argues that, despite Britain’s assertion that it is a champion of the rules-based order, of which international law is a component, continued British administration of the Chagos Archipelago is in contravention of both. In an era of rules-based order strain, British BIOT policy provides fertile ground to criticisms of its foreign policy and international law selectivity and double standards
Archipelago · Geography · International law · Political science · Sovereignty · Economic Zones and Regional Development · International Maritime Law Issues · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Law
| Citations per year | 0.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2024 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |