By Cenap Çakmak The above analysis can be reinforced by a broader observation: the legal regime governing the use of power becomes most stable when three elements converge: restrictive norms, effective institutional authorization, and political alignment among major powers. When one or more of these variables is absent, the system does not fall into a legal vacuum. Instead, it undergoes a transformation in which uncertainty is actively converted into permission through doctrines of...

By Cenap Çakmak Historically, the use of force has passed through all three of these legal forms. It has evolved from a largely permissive and decentralized practice, where the resort to armed force was viewed as a natural attribute of sovereignty, to an increasingly constrained legal sphere shaped by collective security aspirations and institutional oversight, and finally to a contemporary framework defined by intense normative constraints grounded in the UN Charter system. This historical...

By Cenap Çakmak The phrase “rule-based international order” has gained significant rhetorical and analytical importance in contemporary diplomatic, legal, and academic discourse. However, its explanatory value fundamentally depends on how the concept of “order” is understood. In discussions regarding the use of force, this term is frequently used simultaneously in descriptive, normative, and aspirational senses; insufficient attention is paid to the distinction between what the legal system...