German Practice with Regard to the Use of Force in Syria

Abstract

This brief note presents German practice with respect to the use of force in the Syrian conflict. The development of the international rules on the use of force depends to a large extent on the practice and statements of governments. For this reason, governments should carefully consider their justification for the use of force of their own armed forces as well as statements they make with respect to the use of force by other states. The contribution focuses on the participation of the German armed forces in the fight against the so-called "Islamic State" as well as on the reaction of Germany to the two uses of force by the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom in reaction to the alleged uses of chemical weapons by the Syrian government in 2017 and 2018.

Keywords: Use of force; International law; practice; statements; Germany; Syria; chemical weapons

JEL Classification: K00; K33