Abstrakt
The chapter assesses the rules on territorial (se)cession that apply under current international law, in light of the recent events in Crimea. The first section focuses on (se)cession as a legal basis for territorial changes.
It discusses whether a state may lawfully incorporate a part of the territory' of another state in the absence of an effective government in the latter state; and under what conditions the cession of part of a state's territory may occur on the basis of a bilateral treaty. The second section deals with territorial referendums and their role in the process of (se)cession.
It considers whether a referendum is a necessary and/or sufficient condition for the lawfulness of (se)cession and what procedural standards, if any, apply to its course.
