The Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare: A Commentary on Chapter II — The Use of Force

Abstract

This article comments on the jus ad bellum rules found in Chapter II of the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare. In particular it discusses the scope of the prohibition of the use of force; the definition of force; the scope of self-defence; the interpretation of imminence, necessity and proportionality in cyber; the scope of collective self-defence and the role of the Security Council. Its aim is to draw attention to certain important but contested legal issues and where possible to offer alternative views.

Keywords: Jus ad bellum, use of force, Tallinn Manual, cyber warfare, self-defence, UN Security Council