Abstract

This chapter explores the concept of the right of national self-defence. National self-defence is conceived in international law as a right — a consideration capable of asserting normative force against the consequentialist requirements such as those of peace and security. By locating the notion of national-defence within a framework of ideas generated in the context of personal defensive rights, the Just War Theorist can show how a state’s military action in defending its own sovereign power can be morally justified.