Law and the Use of Force by States: The Brezhnev Doctrine

Abstract

The Brezhnev Doctrine states the official Soviet theory of the law governing the use of force by States. Most explicitly formulated in connection with the 1968 crisis over Czechoslovakia and addressed to relations between the Soviet Union and other communist States, the Doctrine has general significance because it interprets the law purporting to govern the international use of force. As the United Nations Charter makes clear, that branch of international law defines the most important structural features of the international system.