Cyber-attacks and the right of self-defense: a case study of the Netherlands

AbstractWhilst Article 51 of the UN Charter as a rule indicates that an “armed attack” may trigger a State’s right of self-defense, the actual purport of armed attack remains a matter of interpretation and qualification. To improve the notion of the rule on self-defense and contribute to the jus ad bellum, more clarification as to what constitutes an armed attack in cyberspace is necessary. Therefore, policy norms—regarding when cyber-attacks reach the threshold of an armed attack—could guide State behavior. On the one hand, these policy norms could be used in the political decision-making pro... Mehr ...