The International Law Commission's Draft Articles on State Responsibility

Book excerpt: This volume contains a consolidated reproduction of Part One (articles 1 to 35) of the Draft Article on State Responsibility and their important Commentaries, prepared by the International Law Commission in the period ending in 1980. These articles deal with the origin of international responsibility, including general principles, the act of State, breach of an international obligation, and circumstances precluding wrongfulness. They were drawn up on the basis of eight reports submitted by the Special Rapporteur, Professor, now Judge Roberto Ago. An introduction written by Shabtai Rosenne traces the history of the official codification of the topic of State Responsibility since the League of Nations first broached the matter in 1924. State Responsibility is central to the daily practice of international law, and its systematic treatment is central to the codification process. The International Law Commission is continuing work on the topic. In the meantime, the articles of Part One, now concentrated for the first time in a single volume, are the major starting point for this work. This volume will be of great value to practitioners, teachers and students of international law. Shabtai Rosenne was a member of the International Law Commission from 1962 to 1971, when the basic decisions regarding the approach to the current phase of the work were taken.