Abstract
The U.S. and U.K. attacks on the territory of Afghanistan on 7 October 2001 were not justified as a legal application of their inherent right to self-defense under international law. The attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center were not armed attacks by the State of Afghanistan; neither did the U.S. letter to the Security Council nor official documents and statements prove Taliban’s responsibility and effective control over al Qaeda’s terrorist operation on the U.S. soil. Even if the U.S. and U.K. invoked Article 51, considering 9/11 as armed attacks, the 7 October 2001 attacks on the territory of Afghanistan still did not satisfy customary law requirements of self-defense; necessity, proportionality, and immediacy. In addition, the U.S. and U.K. arguments for anticipatory use of force in the face of imminent threats by Afghanistan were not supported by evidence to the Council. Moreover, both governments did not receive Security Council authorization to use force in self-defense when they attacked Afghanistan.
Department
Law Department
Degree Name
LLM in International and Comparative Law
Graduation Date
2-1-2017
Submission Date
October 2017
First Advisor
Skouteris, Thomas
Committee Member 1
Beckett, Jason
Committee Member 2
Sayed, Hani
Extent
83 p.
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Rights
The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Not necessary for this item
Recommended Citation
APA Citation
Ismail, A.
(2017).The legality of the October 7th 2001 attacks on Afghanistan under international law [Master's Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/37
MLA Citation
Ismail, Ahmed. The legality of the October 7th 2001 attacks on Afghanistan under international law. 2017. American University in Cairo, Master's Thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/37