General

The principle of non-intervention in the affairs of other States also belongs to the old pattern of the world community.

Since the period of classical international law the principle has been concretely enshrined in a few specific customary rules.

The first one is the rule prohibiting a State from interfering in the internal organization of a foreign State. For instance, one State may not decide winch organ of a foreign State is competent to perform a certain act, nor may it enjoin a foreign State agent to discharge certain activities or accomplish a certain act. Another rule prohibits sites from encroaching upon the internal affairs of other States. Thus for instance a State is not allowed to bring pressure to bear on specific national bodies of other countries (the legislature, enforcement agencies, or the judiciary), nor may it interfere in the relations between foreign government authorities and their own nationals. Yet another rule enjoins States to refrain from instigating, organizing, or officially supporting the organization on their territory of activities prejudicial to foreign countries.

Another customary rule has a more specific purport, in that it deals only with civil strife: it stipulates that whenever a civil war breaks out in a foreign country, States are duty-bound to refrain from assisting insurgents, unless they qualify for the status of national liberation movements.

These rules are still in force.