Session 1: Introduction — Rule of Law in Theory (Dr Silvia D’Amato, 10/2/2023)
What is security and the rule of law? Analyse security necessities and security issues in relation
to existing legal structures and norms — Not a course to evaluate the legality of practices but to
understand the need to balance di erent necessities with rights and freedoms.
Three main questions: 1) What is law?, 2) Why is the rule of law relevant for security? And 3) Is
there an international rule of law?
1) What is law?
- The law is a set of legal rules that govern the way members of society act towards one another
- Behavioural codes that guide people into actions that conform to societal expectation
- Laws are norms supported by codi ed social sanctions – based on culture and history
- Necessary for order & justice
What is law? Check Chapter 5, Grieco et al.:
Di erent levels of law
Di erent levels of law — levels of analysis
Security and the Rule of Law 1
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, Types of International Law
Functions of law
- Order (security)
- An essential prerequisite of society
- By providing order, the law provides the security that facilitates social/political development
- Justice
- More contested – di erent philosophical and political de nitions
- Overall, the goal is 1) fairness, 2) moral rightness and 3) a scheme or system of law in which
every person receives their due from the system, including all rights, both natural and legal.
- For example Derrida (1990): justice as a political concept. Doing justice means giving what is
due — balancing competing claims and dealing fairly with all parties. Necessary ideal, a
horizon towards which the best impulses of human civilisation are directed. Think about the
debate between equality and equity.
Strict relationship between law and politics
- Function to bring about justice and order (security): Development of societal relations:
- Di erent political regimes have a di erent balance between law&politics, i.e. di erent countries
have di erent legal regimes, traditions & sensitivities
- Speci city of democratic rule & politics
- The balance between legal policy and political policy
Sovereign states have a monopoly on the use of force
- Social contract (Hobbes): Liberty vs. Security
- The sovereign state is the only actor responsible for public security and the only one that can
lawfully and legitimately use violence
Internal Sovereignty
- ‘Superiorem no recognoscens’ — the highest governing authority in a country
- State-society relations: how the government rules the domestic society
Security and the Rule of Law 2
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, External sovereignty
- Both the government and the domestic society make up the state
- Juridical statehood — constitutional Independence (no external legal authority) + recognition
- Empirical statehood
So the state gets to be sovereign: the legal State authority (Gewalt) and public authority allow
the State to exercise its right to control the others. Entitlement to the use of force necessary for
the protection of the common good, meaning collective interests as ‘everyone was entitled to see
to their rights if needed be by force of arms (Pereira 2011:1)’. General relationship of power is part
of the State and it exists regardless of the type of state or constitution.
- But: the power of a government to reign over its territory without any interference (i.e.
superiorem non recognoscens).
- Westphalian system: the norm of non-interference states should not intervene in the internal
a airs of other states. But the way they exercise their monopoly and therefore use force varies,
After WW2, increased relevance of humanitarian principles to give the international community
the right – and perhaps even an obligation – to intervene and protect people from violence and
abuse also from their governments.
In rule of law systems, powers are separated:
- Rule of law vs. Rule by law
- Montesquieu (1689-1755): trias politica, separation of legislative, executive and judicial power
together with checks and balances
Key features of the rule of law:
- Fairness
- Rationality
- Predictability
- Consistency
- Impartiality
- And, special attention to the separation of powers (independence of the judiciary) and access
to justice)
Security and the Rule of Law 3
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