Uti possidetis doctrine

The analysis of the notion and historical development of the doctrine of uti possidetis in international law is the basis of this paper. A synthetic overview of the main cases in which it has been applied in international jurisprudence follows this analysis. The scope of uti possidetis in different geographic contexts and specific issues such as the critical date, the relationship between uti possidetis and effectivités, the role of equity, the impact of uti possidetis on self-determination (and viceversa) are the main points touched upon with regard to the applicability of the norm.