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International Law
Introduction
State succession refers to the merging of two or more States. It is different
from government succession in the sense that in government succession
there’s a change of government whereas in State succession the State loses
control over its partial or whole territory. Art 2(1)(b) of the Vienna
Convention on the succession of States in respect of treaties in 1978 defines
the term State succession as ‘the replacement of one State by another in
the responsibility for the international relations of territory’.
In essence, it deals with the succession of one state with another and the
transfer of rights and obligations. This concept has assumed greater
importance since World War II owing to its effects on the legal obligations of
the States.
Universal Succession
This is also referred to as Total Succession. When the entire identity of the
parent State is destroyed and the old territory takes up the identity of the
successor State, it is known as Universal Succession. This can happen in
cases of:
Merger
Annexation
Subjugation
In certain cases of universal succession, the old State gets divided into
multiple States. The dissolution of Czechoslovakia is an example of universal
succession. The new States of the Czech Republic and Slovakia are both
successor States.
Partial Succession
Partial Succession occurs when a part of the territory of the State gets
severed from the parent State. This severed part now becomes an
independent State. This can occur when there is a civil war or a liberalization
war.
1. First that the State and the Sovereign gain all their power from God
and a mere change in Government shouldn’t cause any change in
the powers.
2. Second, it is permanent and nothing can cause it to secede.
The application of this theory can be seen in cases of fusion in the 20th
century. The fusion of Syria and Egypt, Somali Land and Somalia,
Tanganyika and Zanzibar are examples of this. However, this theory failed to
get any attention from the majority of States from the world and has also
been criticized by scholars from the world due to its Roman law analogy, a
poor distinction between succession and internal change in governments,
etc.
However, this theory has not found its application in any country outside
Europe and also has been criticised on the grounds that it functioned
according to the municipal laws i.e, the local laws, which is why it was
difficult to understand the effect of State succession using this theory.
Organic Substitution Theory
According to this theory, the rights and duties of the State continue even
after succession by another State. Von Gierke had published a paper in
1882 regarding The execution of rights and obligations of a social body after
its dissolution. It was from here that Max Huber derived his organic
substitution theory. Huber drew the analogy that the problem of State
succession was similar to that of dissolution of a social institution.
The factual element of the people and the territory have an organic bond i.e.,
the bond between the people and elements of State and upon succession by
a new sovereign, the organic bond remains intact and only the juridical
element changes. It offers a new explanation to the continuity of rights and
duties i.e., the substitution of a successor State in the personality of its
predecessor State. But, just like the other theories, this theory too has had
no practical application and has been criticized for the same.
Negative Theory
This theory was developed during the mid-19th and early 20th centuries.
After World War II, the jurists of the Soviet Nations started emphasizing on
the right of self-determination and on giving complete freedom to the States
to maintain their international relations. According to this theory, the
successor State doesn’t absorb the personality of the predecessor State in its
political and economic interests.
Upon succession, the new State is completely free of the obligations of the
predecessor State. The successor State does not exercise its jurisdiction over
the territory in virtue of a transfer of power from its predecessor but it has
acquired the possibility of expanding its own sovereignty.
Communist Theory
According to the Communist Theory of State Succession, a successor State is
burdened by the economic and political commitments of the predecessor.
Thus, this comes as something completely contrary to the Negative Theory of
State Succession and unlike the Negative Theory, it doesn’t free the
successor State from the obligations of the predecessor State.
Conclusion
Given the current status of the law with regard to the idea of State
succession, it can be very well inferred that the law needs a lot more
evolution and clarity. Even though lately, it has been seen that there has
been some consensus on certain levels and that succession doesn’t
necessarily lead to disruption in all legal practices and methods there is a lot
more work that needs to be done in this field.