5 - Conclusions

Summary

The concluding chapter submits that state responsibility, which forms part of the ground rules of international law, is not equally important across the broad spectrum of international obligations. The functionality of the general rules of state responsibility varies as a result of the multiple purposes state responsibility is expected to fulfil: the generality of the law stresses its system-building function rather than practical usefulness. As a result, other responsibility constructions have emerged next to the law of state responsibility seeking to fill voids left by the law of state responsibility. The importance of particularized solutions are emphasized, as well as calls for the acceptance of the fragmentation of international responsibility. It is submitted that state responsibility no longer enjoys a unique position in international law. Instead, several avenues of responsibility all embody the core idea that legal consequences will follow from breaches of the law.