Treaties after a revolution

[J. J.]

Who's going to enforce the treaty if the new government (if there is a new government) declines to honor it?

[J. J.]

Who's going to enforce the treaty if the new government (if there is a new government) declines to honor it?

It depends on the treaty - a territorial one could ultimately get the UN Security Council involved.

And if the treaty party says no, we won't listen to the Security Council? 

[J. J.]

Who's going to enforce the treaty if the new government (if there is a new government) declines to honor it?

It depends on the treaty - a territorial one could ultimately get the UN Security Council involved.

And if the treaty party says no, we won't listen to the Security Council? 

Ultimately, Article VII action including sanctions and possibly even military action.

You can do that with the breaking of any treaty.

[J. J.]

Yeah. J.J.'s right here. International law is very useless if one of the parties thinks they are strong enough to stop honoring it.

Look no further than Nazi Germany....and that wasn't even a "revolution".

I was actually thinking of that analogy.

Sometimes a state will agree to abide with a pre-existing treaty or with, in the US case, with an unratified treaty.  I think SALT II was one example.

[J. J.]

Makes you wonder if Egypt will give the Sinai back to Israel if they renege on the peace treaty between the two states.

(the above is rhetorical.  I don't think it should happen, I don't think Israel would expect it to happen and clearly Egypt wouldn't anyway)

The question might be, from Egypt's standpoint, "Peace treaty?  What peace treaty?"

[J. J.]

Yeah. J.J.'s right here. International law is very useless if one of the parties thinks they are strong enough to stop honoring it.

Look no further than Nazi Germany....and that wasn't even a "revolution".

I was actually thinking of that analogy.

Sometimes a state will agree to abide with a pre-existing treaty or with, in the US case, with an unratified treaty.  I think SALT II was one example.

Uhm, wasn't it the Gorbachov USSR that unilaterally respected SALT II's stipulations, while the Reagan US didn't?

Yes, but not until 7 years later.  The USSR could no longer afford a buildup.  That disregard was one of the numerous reasons for Perestroika.  It also lead to the current treaties.