Humanitarian Intervention: Second Reading of the Charter of the United Nations

1 he theory of humanitarian intervention has never enjoyed as much legitimacy as it does today. Nevertheless, the theory was not wholeheartedly accepted as a rule of contemporary international law but was criticised and rejected by many scholars as inadequate because it represents a violation of the complete and explicit ban on the use of force found in the United Nations Charter. This article investigates the validity of the theory under both customary and contemporary international law. It starts with determining the meaning of the theory and its legal basis in customary international law and the Charter of the United Nations. It also attempts to set up criteria designed to safeguard the theory from potential misuse.