Geschichtsregionale Völkerrechtsforschung. Der Fall Südosteuropa
Regional History Research into International Law. The Case of South-East Europe

Summary/Abstract: Starting from the historical regional conceptions of Eastern Europe and its sub-regions, this paper examines the role of South-East Europe in an historical context in shaping international law. The thesis is advanced that because of long-lasting structures a potential for conflict arose in the South-East Europe of the 19th and 20th centuries which under particular circumstances, such as the advancement of the idea of the nation state in the region, took on a high degree of intensity and fervency (factor “structures”). In connection with the importance of the geo-political position of South East Europe (factor “location”) as the land and sea bridge to the Middle East and the Levant, together with developments of global significance and extent (factor “time”) outside the region occurring at the same time, such as the end of the Cold War, these South East European conflicts exercised a marked influence on the development of international law. The effects on international law of the combined influence of the factors “structures”, “location” and “time” are exemplified by means of a number of events intimately connected with South-East Europe, which have left their mark on both classical and modern international law, from “humanitarian intervention” by the European great powers in 1827 at Navarino in favour of the Greek rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, to the Congress of Berlin 1878 which, for the first time, linked the recognition in international law of new states and autonomous provinces in the Balkans to the introduction of minority rights, right up to the formation of the latest international law institution of the “Responsibility to Protect” following the NATO’s military intervention in Serbia in 1999.

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