A State of Interregnum in Rule-Based International Order and the Russian–Ukrainian War

Abstract

This article reviews the recent Russian intervention in Ukraine from an international legal perspective that attempts to explain the state of violent engagement by referring to the change in the rule-based order, mutually constructed with the participation of multiple players. Recalling Russia’s arguments to justify the military aggression, the author argues that when taken within a broader context, the Russian-Ukrainian war could be better identified as a manifestation of the erosion in the rule-based international order, particularly in the legal mechanism that regulates use of force among nations.