Ethiopia's Armed Intervention in Somalia: The Legality of Self-Defense in Response to the Threat of Terrorism

Abstract

Whereas there are debates among some academic circles that the events of 9/11 have constituted a change in the law of self-defense, this article argues against the possibility, even of the desirability, of such an assertion. By situating the law of self-defense in the context of ‘terrorism’ and the threat thereof, this article argues that Ethiopia’s claim for a lawful exercise of its right to self-defense falls short of the requirements of the law even if Ethiopia was neither questioned nor condemned by the United Nations Security Council or the African Union.