The use of armed force : contemporary challenges in light of Professor Skubiszewski’s legacy

The text explores the legacy of Professor Krzysztof Skubiszewski on the use of force with special focus on his contribution to the 1969 Manual of Public International Law edited by Professor Max Sørensen, which still serves as a reference in contemporary scholarship. Firstly, an attempt to identify Professor Skubiszewski’s approach to the use of force problems is made. It is claimed that the main feature which makes this approach still attractive is perceiving jus ad bellum in a systemic way. The remaining parts of the text take this approach as a starting point for dealing with contemporary jus ad bellum challenges. Two examples are particularly focused on in this respect: the problem of humanitarian intervention and the challenged inter-State paradigm of the use of force.