Self-determination

The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law, binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. As a principle of international law it is related to the concepts of equal rights, political liberty and representative government with full suffrage; the legitimacy of the territorial status quo depends upon representative government and equal rights. Essentially, those subject to the jurisdiction of the state and its laws must enjoy the same political liberties "without distinction as to race, creed or color". It is wrong to state the principle as "the right freely to determine...political status". Rather, it strongly implies the equality of political rights in a "one man, one vote" democratic government and free and full participation in the political process.

The concept was first expressed in the 1860s, and spread rapidly thereafter. During and after World War I, the principle was encouraged by both Soviet Premier Vladimir Lenin and United States President Woodrow Wilson. Having announced his Fourteen Points on 8 January 1918, on 11 February 1918 Wilson stated: "National aspirations must be respected; people may now be dominated and governed only by their own consent. 'Self determination' is not a mere phrase; it is an imperative principle of action."

During World War II, the principle was included in the Atlantic Charter, jointly declared on 14 August 1941 by Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, and Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who pledged The Eight Principal points of the Charter. It was recognized as an international legal right after it was explicitly listed as a right in the UN Charter.

Implementing the right to self-determination can be politically difficult, in part because there are multiple interpretations of what constitutes a people group and which groups may legitimately claim the right to self-determination.