International Security Law
Course content
Security has become a dominant theme for Denmark and its
European partners since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and
Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Europe faces a new
geopolitical reality, caught between an expansionist Russia and an
American ally that is increasingly unpredictable and unreliable,
which heightens the risk of large-scale warfare on the continent.
In addition, European states operate in an environment that is
constantly evolving, where simmering conflicts may unfold in a grey
zone between war and peace. These include drone incursions, cyber
attacks, disinformation campaigns, and sabotage against underwater
cables and other critical infrastructure on land or in outer space.
States must also address irregular migration flows, sometimes
weaponised by hostile neighbours, and secure free navigational
routes threatened by piracy. At the same time, Europe will continue
to contribute to international stability operations overseas to
protect its peripheries from threats posed by violent non-state
actors. Managing this complex set of security challenges requires
not only operational capacity but also strong legal preparedness
and resilience.
The primary aim of this course is to equip students with
research‑based insights into the various areas of international law
that regulate how states address contemporary security challenges.
Rather than treating these areas in isolation, the course adopts a
holistic perspective. It begins by examining the key actors and
institutions involved, before turning to the relevant legal regimes
with particular emphasis on how their rules apply and interact in
practice, e.g. the relationship between the law of the sea, human
rights law, and the UN Charter. This complex legal framework is
subsequently applied across different security domains.
The course is structured around the following themes:
1. Key Actors an& Institutions
- States
- Intergovernmental organisations (e.g. UN, NATO, EU, CoE)
- International courts and quasi-judicial bodies (e.g. ICJ, ITLOS,
ICC, ECtHR, HRC)
- ICRC and civil society
- Other non-state actors
2. Relevant Legal Regimes and Interplay
- UN Charter
- International humanitarian law (IHL)
- Human rights law, including extraterritorial scope and
derogations during emergencies
- Other specialised fields of international law (e.g. law of the
sea and space law)
- Attribution and third-party obligations, including the law of
neutrality
- Interplay between different regimes, including conflict rules and
systemic interpretation
3. Territorial Defence, Hybrid Threats and Stability
Operations
- Regulation on the inter-state use of force
- Rules governing hybrid threats, including the principle of
sovereignty and non-intervention
- UN mandates, military cooperations and mutual defence
arrangements
- Conflict classifications
4. Maritime Security
- Counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations
- Protection of underwater cables and pipelines
- Addressing illegal migration
- Blockades and the continued relevance of the law of naval warfare
5. Security in Outer Space
- Militarisation and weaponisation of outer space
- Space warfare and dual-use space systems
- Other harmful activities
- Risks posed by space debris
6. Intelligence and Cyber Operations
- Espionage in peacetime and armed conflict
- Human rights in cyberspace
- Cyberwarfare, including data as object
- Lawful responses, e.g. countermeasures and necessity
7. Weapons Regulation
- Prohibited means of warfare and regulation of law-enforcement
weapons
- Comprehensive arms control regimes, e.g. chemical weapons,
anti-personnel mines
- Regulation of lethal autonomous weapons systems
- Restrictions on arms transfers, e.g. under the Arms Trade Treaty
and other regimes
8. Handling of Detainees
- Arrests and criminal detention
- Legality of security detention in peacetime and armed conflict
- Procedural guarantees for security detainees
- Non-refoulement and detainee transfers
The course is particularly aimed at law students who envisage
careers in the security sector and related fields, including the
armed forces, intelligence services, law enforcement, civil
defence, relevant ministries, intergovernmental organisations (such
as NATO, EU and UN), national and international courts, civil
society organisations and the private sector.
Knowledge:
- Explain the role of states and different actors in international law regulation and adjudication in relation to security challenges
- Explain the legal consequences of security cooperation between different states and other actors
- Describe the nature of the relevant legal regimes and explain the content of their specific rules
- Explain how they apply across different security domains (e.g. maritime, outer space, cyber)
- Describe how rules from different legal regimes interact in practice and explain the specific implications of this interplay
Skills:
- Navigate and critically analyse the complex international legal framework, governing peacetime, crises and war
- Identify the relevant legal rules for addressing a specific security challenge when presented with a scenario
- Assess the legality of state actions in response to specific security challenges across different domains
- Distinguish genuine legal arguments from policy or operational considerations
- Identify possible gaps in regulating contemporary security threats
Competences:
- Navigate a complex set of legal sources (e.g. treaties, state positions, case-law, expert manuals, commentaries, journal articles and law blogposts) to ascertain the relevant lex lata
- Formulate sound legal solutions and courses of action, and communicate them to different audiences
- Apply the acquired knowledge and skills to different threat scenarios and entirely new security domains
- Critically reflect on the adequacy, coherence, and resilience of existing legal frameworks in light of current threats and evolving geopolitical developments
- Communicate own research findings in writing in a coherent and academically rigorous manner
Holdundervisning
The suggested syllabus brings together a well-balanced selection
of materials, including treaties, state positions, case law, expert
manuals, extracts from commentaries and textbooks, journal
articles, and law blog posts. The readings listed below amount to
739 pages.
1. Key Actors and Institutions [32 pages]
- Astrid Kjeldgaard-Pedersen, “International Legal Personality as a
Theoretical Construct” in The International Legal Personality
of the Individual (OUP 2018), p. 14-46 [32 pages]
2. Relevant Legal Regimes and Interplay [137 pages]
- Charter of the United Nations (1945), Chapters I-VII and XVI,
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text
[14 pages]
- Marco Sassoli, International Humanitarian Law
(2nd ed., Elgar 2024), Chapter 6, p. 186-226 [40 pages]
- European Convention on Human Rights (1950), Arts. 1-18 [10 pages]
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966),
Arts. 1-27 [10 pages]
- ECtHR, Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia, Judgment,
9 July 2025, Applications nos. 8019/16, 43800/14, 28525/20 and
11055/22, paras. 340-65 and 425-30 [12 pages]
- ECtHR, Nasser and others v. Denmark, Judgment, 21
October 2025, Application no. 46571/22, paras. 90-109 [6 pages]
- Cornelius Wiesener and Astrid Kjeldgaard-Pedersen, State
Responsibility for the Misconduct of Partners in International
Military Operations (DJØF Forlag 2021), p. 29-55,
https://static-curis.ku.dk/portal/files/279216722/ebook_State_Responsibility_for_the_Misconduct_of_Partners_in_International_Military_Operations.pdf
[26 pages]
- Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, ‘Neutrality in the War against
Ukraine’, 1 March 2022, Articles of War,
https://lieber.westpoint.edu/neutrality-in-the-war-against-ukraine/
[4 pages]
- Luca Pasquet, ‘De-Fragmentation Techniques’, Max Planck
Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (2018),
https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law-mpeipro/e3556.013.3556/law-mpeipro-e3556
[15 pages]
3. Territorial Defence, Hybrid Threats and Stability
Operations [102 pages]
- Terry Gill, ‘Legal Basis of the Right of Self-Defence under the
UN Charter and under Customary International Law’, in: Terry Gill
and Dieter Fleck (eds), The Handbook of the International Law
of Military Operations (2nd ed., OUP 2015), p.
113-124 [11 pages]
- Bruno Simma and others, The Charter of the United Nations. A
Commentary (4th ed, OUP 2024), Vol. I, Art. 2 (4),
p. 289-326 [16 pages]
- NATO Treaty (1949),
https://www.nato.int/en/about-us/official-texts-and-resources/official-texts/1949/04/04/the-north-atlantic-treaty
[4 pages]
- Terry Gill, ‘Military Intervention with the Consent or at the
Invitation of a Government’, in: Terry Gill and Dieter Fleck (eds),
The Handbook of the International Law of Military
Operations (2nd ed., OUP 2015), p. 252-58 [6 pages]
- Defence Agreement between Denmark and US (2023), Arts. 1-8, 12,
15 and 30,
https://www.fmn.dk/globalassets/fmn/dokumenter/nyheder/2023/-us-denmark-dca-den-prime-english-20dec2023-.pdf
[13 pages]
- Helen Keller, ‘Friendly Relations Declaration (1970)’, Max Planck
Encyclopedia of Public International Law (2021),
https://opil.ouplaw.com/display/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e938?prd=MPIL
[12 pages]
- Aurel Sari, ‘Metaphors, Rules and War: Making Sense of
Hybrid Threats and Grey Zone Conflict’, 31 January 2025, EJIL Talk,
https://www.ejiltalk.org/metaphors-rules-and-war-making-sense-of-hybrid-threats-and-grey-zone-conflict/
[5 pages]
- Terry Gill, ‘Legal Characterization and Basis for Enforcement
Operations and Peace Enforcement Operations under the Charter’, in:
Terry Gill and Dieter Fleck (eds), The Handbook of the
International Law of Military Operations (2nd ed.,
OUP 2015), p. 95-109 [14 pages]
4. Maritime Security [109 pages]
- Douglas Guilfoyle, ‘The Use of Force Against Pirates’, in: Marc
Weller (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Use of Force in
International Law (OUP 2015), p.1057-76 [19 pages]
- Michael Schmitt, Marko Milanovic and Ryan Goodman, ‘The
International Law Obligation of States to Stop Intelligence Support
for U.S. Boat Strikes’, 19 November 2025, Justsecurity,
https://www.justsecurity.org/124762/caribbean-strikes-intelligence-sharing
[8 pages]
- Jacques Hartmann and Alexander Lott, ‘The Prosecution ‘Gap’ for
Attacks on Subsea Cables and Pipelines’, 13 November 2025, EJIL
Talk,
www.ejiltalk.org/the-prosecution-gap-for-attacks-on-subsea-cables-and-pipelines
[5 pages]
- Graham Butler and Martin Ratcovich, ‘Operation Sophia in
Uncharted Waters: European and International Law Challenges for the
EU Naval Mission in the Mediterranean Sea’, 85 (3) Nordic
Journal of International Law (2016), p. 235-259 [24 pages]
- Marco Sassoli, International Humanitarian Law
(2nd ed., Elgar 2024), Chapter 8.8, p. 430-46 [16 pages]
- Andrew Clapham, War (OUP 2021), Chapters 8.6-8.7, p.
357-90 [33 pages]
- Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, ‘The Ukrainian Attacks Against
Gambian-Flagged Oil Tankers in the Black Sea’, 8 December 2025,
Articles of War,
https://lieber.westpoint.edu/ukrainian-attacks-against-gambian-flagged-oil-tankers-black-sea/
[4 pages]
5. Security in Outer Space [65 pages]
- Outer Space Treaty (1966),
https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/outerspacetreaty.html
[7 pages]
- Almudena Azcárate Ortega, ‘Not a Rose by Any Other Name: Dual-Use
and Dual-Purpose Space Systems’, 5 June 2023, Lawfare,
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/not-a-rose-by-any-other-name-dual-use-and-dual-purpose-space-systems
[9 pages]
- Hjalte Osborn Frandsen, Governing Outer Space. Legal Issues
Mounting at the Final Frontier (Danish Institute for
International Studies 2023),
https://pure.diis.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/16421071/DIIS_PB_Governing_Outer_Space_WEB.pdf
[5 pages]
- Extract of black letter rules: The McGill Manual on
International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space,
https://www.mcgill.ca/milamos/
[20 pages]
- Extract of black letter rules: The Woomera Manual on the
International Law of Military Space Operations (OUP 2024) [12
pages]
- Marco Sassoli, International Humanitarian Law
(2nd ed., Elgar 2024), Chapter 10.17, p. 690-702 [12
pages]
6. Intelligence and Cyber Operations [90 pages]
- Marko Milanovic, ‘Surveillance and Cyber Operations’, in: Marc
Gibney and others (eds), The Routledge Handbook on
Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations (Routledge 2021),
366-376 [10 pages]
- Extract of black letter rules: Tallinn Manual on the
International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations (CUP 2017)
[12 pages]
- Marc Schack and Katrine Lund-Hansen, ‘Attacking Data: Moving
beyond the Interpretative Quagmire of the “Data as an Object”
Debate’, 92 (3) Nordic Journal of International Law
(2023), 349-370 [21 pages]
- Marc Schack, ‘Collective Countermeasures Upon Request: Renewing
the Debate in View of the Rise of Cyberthreats’, 41 (2)
Berkeley Journal of International Law (2023), 297-344 [47
pages].
7. Weapons Regulation [89 pages]
- Andrew Clapham, War (OUP 2021), Chapter 7.5, p. 317-22
[5 pages]
- Marco Sassoli, International Humanitarian Law
(2nd ed., Elgar 2024), Chapter 8.7, p. 409-27 [18 pages]
- Stuart Casey-Maslen, The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
A Commentary (3rd ed., OUP 2023), p. 49-78 [29
pages]
- Inna Zavorotko and Oleksii Plotnikov, Tentative Remarks on
Ukraine’s Suspension of the Ottawa Convention, 8 October 2025,
Articles of War,
https://lieber.westpoint.edu/tentative-remarks-ukraines-suspension-ottawa-convention/
[6 pages]
- Extract of Art. 21: Convention on Cluster Munitions (2008),
https://treaties.unoda.org/t/cluster_munitions
[1 page]
- Report of the 2023 session of the Group of Governmental Experts
on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons
Systems,
https://docs-library.unoda.org/Convention_on_Certain_Conventional_Weapons_-Group_of_Governmental_Experts_on_Lethal_Autonomous_Weapons_Systems_(2023)/CCW-GGE.1-2023-2_English.pdf
[6 pages]
- Marco Sassoli, International Humanitarian Law (2nd
ed., Elgar 2024), Chapters 10.4 and 10.5, p. 557-576 [19 pages]
- Jacques Hartmann, Lea Köhne and Vincent Widdig , ‘Arms Exports
and Access to Justice: Enforcing International Law through Domestic
Courts’, 25 October 2024, EJIL Talk,
https://www.ejiltalk.org/arms-exports-and-access-to-justice-enforcing-international-law-through-domestic-courts/
[5 pages]
8. Handling of Detainees [115 pages]
- UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment 35: Article
9, Liberty and security of person, 31 October 2014,
CCPR/C/GC/35,
https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/general-comment-no-35-article-9-liberty-and-security-person
[20 pages]
- Cornelius Wiesener, Security Detention in Military
Operations (DJØF Forlag 2022), p. 23-68,
https://static-curis.ku.dk/portal/files/335784595/Report_security_detention.pdf
[45 pages]
- Cornelius Wiesener, Non-Refoulement in Military Operations:
Detainee Transfers, Risk Assessments and Monitoring (DJØF
Forlag 2023), p. 24-74,
https://static-curis.ku.dk/portal/files/376288399/Report_non_refoulement_in_military_operations.pdf,
[50 pages]
Students are expected to possess a foundational understanding of international law and demon-strate a good command of English, both written and spoken.
- ECTS
- 15 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 20 minutes
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
- Exam period
-
Information følger
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Preparation
- 356,5
- Seminar
- 56
- English
- 412,5
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- JJUA55332U
- ECTS
- 15 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedulegroup
-
-
- Studyboard
- Law
Contracting department
- Law
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Law
Course Coordinator
- Cornelius Wiesener (18-517d807c737a7783813c65777381737c73804e7883803c79833c7279)
Er du BA- eller KA-studerende?
Kursusinformation for indskrevne studerende