Extraterritorial jurisdiction of the state: within and beyond the boundaries of law
https://doi.org/10.52468/2542-1514.2026.10(2).147-156
Abstract
The subject. Neither the public order and mandatory rules nor the basic principles of international law provide protection against attempts of transnational legal supremacy. The further progressive development of international law in this area is required.
The aim. The authors consider extraterritoriality as a fundamental legal and political issue that requires the special complex regulation.
The methods of historical and comparative legal analysis made it possible to identify various manifestation of extraterritoriality and to define basic principles of the regulation hereof. The comprehensive analysis of existing and required regulations is based on a comprehensive stocktaking of the current international law.
Main results. A State exercises its right to legislate, enforce and supervise the implementation of laws within its borders. Numerous exceptions to this rule, namely attempts to exercise jurisdiction extraterritorially, have arisen. "Legal expansion" began to acquire widespread scope in the 20th and 21st centuries regarding antitrust, banking, currency legislation, export regulations, anti-corruption laws, economic "sanctions" etc.). The various types of the extraterritorial application of national law have never been analyzed in their entirety. A document intended to serve as the basis for international regulation was prepared within the UN in 2006. The UN has not returned to its discussion over the past 20 years. However, legal expansion and measures to block it may render impossible the international economic exchange. The authors substantiate that a detailed legal regulation of the extraterritoriality is necessary. The main question is whether a state or the international law shall establish the spatial limits of national law.
Conclusion. Draft articles as a special international legal act shall be adopted, and the authors have prepared a sample of such an act suggesting it for broad discussion.
About the Authors
S. V. Bakhin
State Academic University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Sergey V. Bakhin – Doctor of Law, Professor, Department of Public Law
26, Maronovskii per., Moscow, 119049
D. V. Davydov
State Academic University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dmitry V. Davydov – Postgraduate Student
26, Maronovskii per., Moscow, 119049
References
1. Baratyants N.R. Problems of extraterritorial application of legal norms and international private law, in: Bo guslavskii M.M. (ed.). Mezhdunarodnoe chastnoe pravo: sovremennye problem, Moscow, TEIS Publ., 1994, pp. 245 261. (In Russ.).
2. Calvo C. Le Droit international théorique et pratique. Paris, Guillaumin Publ., 1887. Vol. I. 605 р. (In French).
3. Danevskii V.P. Handbook on the history and system of international law, Golden fund of Russian science of international law; Vol. V. Moscow, Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya Publ., 2021. 496 p. (In Russ.).
4. Grabar’ V.E. Material to the history of literature on international law in Russia (1647-1917), Moscow, Acad emy of Sciences of the USSR Publ., 1958. 491 p. (In Russ.).
5. Usenko E.T. Problems of the extraterritorial effect of national law. Moskovskii zhurnal mezhdunarodnogo prava = Moscow Journal of International Law, 1996, no. 2, pp. 13–31. (In Russ.).
6. Usenko E.T. Essays on the theory of international law. Moscow, Norma Publ., 2011. 240 p. (In Russ.).
7. Davydov D.V. Extraterritoriality in corpore: spatial limits of national law, jurisdiction and phenomena based on them. Mezhdunarodnoe pravo = International Law, 2025, no. 3, pp. 49–62. (In Russ.).
8. Bazedov Y. The law of open societies – private and state regulation of international regulation, transl. from German by Yu.M. Yumashev. Moscow, Norma Publ., 2016. 384 p. (In Russ.).
9. Bakhin S.V. Economic Security of the Russian Federation and Private International Law. Zhurnal mezhdu narodnogo chastnogo prava = Journal of international private law, 2018, no. 1 (99), pp. 24–53. (In Russ.).
10. Kittrie O.F. Lawfare: law as a weapon of war. New York, Oxford University Press, 2016. 481 p. 11. Bakhin S.V. Sanctions law: problem statement. Pravoprimenenie = Law Enforcement Review, 2024, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 143–152. DOI: 10.52468/2542-1514.2024.8(4).143-152.
11. Boklan D.S., Koval V.V. Unilateral sanctions under international law and effectiveness of blocking. Moskov skii zhurnal mezhdunarodnogo prava = Moscow Journal of International Law, 2024, no. 1, pp. 6–23. (In Russ.).
12. Stoerk F. Staatsunterthanen und Fremde (Vierzehntes Stück), in: Holtzendorff F. (ed.). Handbuch des Völk errechts auf Grundlage Europäischer Staatspraxis. Zweiter Band, Hamburg, von J.F. Richter Publ., 1887, pp. 585–672. (In German).
13. Holtzendorff F. Das Landgebiet der Staaten (Neuntes Stück), in: Holtzendorff F. (ed.). Handbuch des Völk errechts auf Grundlage Europäischer Staatspraxis. Zweiter Band, Hamburg, von J.F. Richter Publ., 1887, pp. 225–238. (In German).
14. Ivanov N.P. Foundations of private international jurisdiction, Golden fund of Russian science of international law; Vol. II. Moscow, Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya Publ., 2009. 464 p. (In Russ.).
15. Barsegov Yu.G. (ed.). Dictionary of international maritime law. Moscow, Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya Publ., 1985. 256 p. (In Russ.).
16. Lukashuk I.I. The functioning of international law. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1992. 223 p. (In Russ.).
17. Lukashuk I.I. International law. General part, Textbook for students of the law faculties and higher educa tion institutions. Moscow, Wolters Kluwer Publ., 2005. 415 p. (In Russ.).
18. Boguslavskii M.M. International private law, Textbook, 2nd ed. Moscow, Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya Publ., 1997. 416 p. (In Russ.).
Review
For citations:
Bakhin S.V., Davydov D.V. Extraterritorial jurisdiction of the state: within and beyond the boundaries of law. Law Enforcement Review. 2026;10(2):147-156. https://doi.org/10.52468/2542-1514.2026.10(2).147-156
Views:
51
JATS XML
Email this article 