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The Notion of “Reasonable” in International Law: Legal Discourse, Reason and Contradictions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2008

Extract

Far from being confined to its most obvious manifestations, such as in the right to be tried within a “reasonable time” guaranteed by Articles 5 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, references to the notion of “reasonable” are found in a large variety of primary rules pronounced in both legal instruments and the case law.1

Type
Shorter Articles, Comments and Notes
Copyright
Copyright © British Institute of International and Comparative Law 1999

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References

1. Corten, , L'utilisalion du “raisonnable” par le juge international Discours juridique, raison et contradictions (1997), Bruylant, (ed.), chap.II.Google Scholar

2. The term “reasonable”—as opposed to reasonableness, for instance—is used to reflect the terms actually used by international courts.

3. Lenoble, , Droit et communication. La transformation du droit contemporain (1994), pp.72 et seq.Google Scholar; Ost, “Quelle jurisprudence pour quelle société?” (1985) XXX Archives de philosophie du droit 26.Google Scholar

4. A significant number of decisions by international arbitration tribunals have also been considered. However, the decisions of the ECJ have not been examined.

5. Continental Shelf (Tunisia/Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) I.C.J. Rep. 1982, 18, para.60.Google Scholar

6. See Trechsel, , “La durée raisonnable de la détention préventive (Article 5 paragraphe 3 de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme)” (1971) Revue des droits de l'homme 119152Google Scholar; Ergec, and Velu, , “La notion de délai raisonnable dans les articles 5 et 6 de la convention européenne des droits de l'homme” (1991) Revue trimestrielle des droits de l'homme 137160.Google Scholar

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8. Our translation: Salmon, “Les notions à contenu variable en droit international public”, in Perelman and vander Elst, idem, p.265.

9. Salmon, , “Le fait dans l'application du droit international” (1982) 175 Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law 306: what is reasonable “implique une évaluation qui échappe à vrai dire au droit”.Google Scholar

10. Perelman, , “La motivation des décisions de justice. Essai de synthèse”, in Perelman, and Foriers, (Eds), La motivation des décisions de justice (1978), p.421.Google Scholar

11. Cf. Ost and van de Kerchove, Jalons pour une théorie critique du droit (1987).Google Scholar

12. See Arnaud, (Ed.), Dictionnaire encyclopédique de théorie et de sociologie du droit (1988), p.412.Google Scholar

13. See the analysis and the references in the present author's book, op. cit. supra n.1, at p.142, No.133 and p.308, No.273.Google Scholar

14. Art. 14 reads: “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour …”

15. Certain aspects of the laws on the use of languages in education in Belgium, Ser.A, No.6, 23 07 1968, p.34, para.10.Google Scholar

16. Our translation: Levy-Bruhl, Sociologie du droit (1990), p.69Google Scholar; Similar observations are found in Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (English trans, by Rackman, , 1962), V, 14 at para.1137b.Google Scholar

17. Our translation; Levy-Bruhl, idem, pp.76–77.

18. Our translation: Perelman, Le raisonnable et le déraisonnable en droit (1984), p.134.Google ScholarSee Salmon, , “Le concept de raisonnable en droit international public”, in Mélanges Renter (1982), pp.449450Google Scholar and Hart, , The Concept of Law (1961), p.128.Google Scholar

19. Corfu Channel I.C J. Rep. 1949, 18Google Scholar and Eur.Ct.H.R, Ireland v. The United Kingdom, Ser.A, No.25 (18 01 1978) para.161Google Scholar; see Land, Island and Maritime Frontier Dispute (El Salvador/Honduras: Nicaragua intervening) I.C.J. Rep. 1992, 351, para.228.Google Scholar

20. Subjectivist approaches seek to ascertain the will of the parties, and thus insist particularly on preparatory documents. Objectivist approaches aim at ascertaining meaning by interpreting the text itself and its relationship with the legal system as a whole. See Corten, op. cit. supra n.1, at p.268, nn.16 and 17.Google Scholar

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22. Naomi Russel case, 24 04 1931, IV R.I.A.A. 805, 820.Google Scholar

23. See notion in Polish Postal Service in Dantzig, loc. cit. supra n.21; Exchange of Greek and Turkish populations case, P.C.I.J. Rep. Ser.B, No.10 (30 01 1925), p.24Google Scholar; Admission to the United Nations, I.C.J. Rep. 1950, 4, 8Google Scholar; Temple of Preah Vihéar (Cambodia v. Thailand), preliminary objections, I.C.J. Rep. 1961, 17, 32Google Scholar; Arbitration Award of 1 July 1989 (Guinea-Bissau v. Senegal) I.C.J. Rep. 1991, 5, para.48Google Scholar; see also the decision in the Fubini case, No.201 (12 12 1959) XIV R.I.A.A. 420, 423Google Scholar; Delimitation of the Maritime boundary between Guinea and Guinea-Bissau (14 02 1985), XIV R.I.A.A. 149, 176, para.68.Google Scholar

24. See the jurisprudence cited in Corten, op. cit. supra n.1, at chap.I, sect.4.

25. Apory, : “Cognitive perplexity posed by a group of individually plausible but collectively inconsistent propositions”: Honderich, (Ed.), The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (1995).Google Scholar

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28. North Sea Continental Shelf I.C.J. Rep. 1969, 3, para.98Google Scholar, and D(3) of the conclusions, p.54Google Scholar; Continental Shelf (Tunisia/Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) I.C.J. Rep. 1982, 18, 93, para.133Google Scholar; diss. op. Oda, idem p.273, para.188; in Continental Shelf (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya/Malta) I.C.J. Rep. 1985, 13, see paras.55, 66 and 74Google Scholar; see also the separate opinion of Judge Sette-Camara at pp.7273Google Scholar, the joint separate opinion at paras.28, 31 and 32, the separate opinion of Judge Valticos at para. 18 and the dissenting opinion of Judge Schwebel at p. 184; see also Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine I.C.J. Rep. 1984, 246, para.185.Google Scholar

29. Eur.Ct.H.R., Hadjianastassiou v. Greece, Ser.A, No.252 (16 12 1992), para.47Google Scholar; Eur.Ct.H.R., Chorherr v. Austria, Ser.A, No.266-B (25 08 1993), para.33.Google Scholar

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31. Cf. Salmon, , “L'autorité des prononcés de la Cour internationale de Justice de La Haye”, in Haarscher, , Ingber, and vander, Elst (Eds), Arguments d'autorité el arguments de raison en droit (1988), p.47.Google Scholar

32. Salmon, op. cit supra n.8, at p.303.Google Scholar

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36. Convention on the High Seas, Geneva (29 04 1958) 450 U.N.T.S. 1963, No. 6465, Art. 2: “Freedom of the high seas is exercised under the conditions laid down by these Articles… These freedoms… shall be exercised by all States with reasonable regard to the interests of other States in the exercise of the freedom of the high seas.”Google Scholar

37. See Salmon, , op. cit. supra n.9, at p.351.Google Scholar

38. This conception is not recent: it is found, for instance, in the works of authors such as Jhering, , La lutte pour le droit (1890), pp.1 et seq.Google Scholar and Gumplowicz, , Outlines of Sociology (1980), pp.308 et seq.Google Scholar

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42. Salmon, op. cit. supra n.18.

43. See e.g. the abundant case law from the European Court of Human Rights in Corten, op. cit. supra n.1, at chap.V, section 1. See also Corten, , “L'interprétation du raisonnable par les juridictions Internationales: au-delà du positivisme juridique?” (1998–1) 103 R.G.D.I.P. 5.Google Scholar

44. Art.6 reads: “In the determination of his civil rights and obligations or of any criminal charge against him, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time…“

45. Separate opinion of Judge Terje Wold in the Wemhoffjudgment, Eur.Ct.H.R., Ser.A No.7 (27 06 1968) IIIGoogle Scholar; see the separate opinion of Judge Bustamante in North Sea Continental Shelf supra n.28, at para.6, p.63.Google Scholar

46. See Corten, op. cit. supra n.1, at paras.321–322.

47. Uda, “Formation des normes Internationales dans un monde en mutation. Critique de la notion de soft law”, in Mélanges Virally (1991), pp.335 et seq.Google Scholar

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53. Haba, , “Rationalité et méthode dans le droit” (1978) XXIII A.P.D. 273.Google Scholar

54. See Eur.Ct.H.R., H. v. United Kingdom, Ser.A, No.120(8 07 1987), para.80Google Scholar; see also another expression in Scopelliti v. Italy, Ser.A, No.278 (23 11 1993), para.23Google Scholar, Schouten and Meldrum v. The Netherlands, Ser.A, No.304 (9 12 1994), para.66.Google Scholar

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56. See Temple of Preah Vihear, loc cit. supra n.23Google Scholar; see also the sep. op. of Judge Bustamante in the South West Africa cases (Ethiopia v. South Africa, Liberia v. South Africa) I.C.J. Rep. 1962, 319, 365366Google Scholar; Free zones of Upper Savoy and the District of Gex, P.C.I.J. Rep. Ser.AB, No.46, p.138.Google Scholar

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59. Cf. Ferry, J. M., Philosophie de la communication, Vol.11 (1994), p.39.Google Scholar

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62. Elettronica Sicula I.C.J. Rep. 1989, 76.Google Scholar

63. See e.g. Eur.Ct.H.R., Abdulaziz, Cabales and Balkandali, Ser.A, No.4 (28 05 1985), para.72.Google Scholar

64. This hypothetical example is used here only for didactic purposes.

65. Eur.Ct.H.R., Raimondo v. Italy, Ser.A, No.281–A (22 02 1994), para.30.Google Scholar

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67. Abdulaziz, supra n.63, at paras.77 et seq.

68. Dissenting opinion of Judge Jessup in South West Africa cases {Ethiopia v. South Africa, Liberia v. South Africa) second phase, I.C.J. Rep. 1966, 4, 434436.Google Scholar

69. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage (1987).Google Scholar