Aggression in international law

1945 foundational treaty of the United Nations

Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to be an illegal act. It is distinct from the concepts of conquest, which describes the gaining of physical control, and cession, in which territory is given or sold through treaty.

1928 international agreement

military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense

war initiated to prevent another party from attacking

war that is initiated in an attempt to deal with an expected attack before that attack materializes

United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted in 1974

legal principle of international law, according to which a State attacked by another entity has the right to defend itself from such attacks

military intervention

advisory opinion stating that there is no source of law, customary or treaty, that explicitly prohibits the possession or even use of nuclear weapons

Chinese foreign strategy using small provocations to cumulatively produce a much larger result, e.g. in the South China Sea

concept in international law

19th-century formulation of customary international law