TY - JOUR TI - International Legal Foundations of the Equal Rights and Peoples Self-Determination Principle: Interpretations and Subjectivity Issues T2 - INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS RESEARCH JOURNAL IS - INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS RESEARCH JOURNAL KW - UN KW - principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples KW - principle of sovereign equality of states KW - internal self-determination KW - external self-determination KW - Peoples KW - indigenous Peoples KW - colonial Peoples AB - Dmitry Malov- Postgraduate student of the International Relations Department of the Saint Petersburg State University; 199034, 7-9, Universitetskaya Embankment, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation; E-mail: dimalow@mail.ru AbstractThe article discusses the principle of equal rights and peoples’ self-determination in international law context. It is proved that international law norms, integrated in the "principle of territorial integrity", do not contradict the principle of equal rights and peoples’ self-determination. A typology of the subjects to principle of equal rights and peoples’ self-determination on the basis of the UN documents analysis is proposed. The author examines special features of the principle content and interpretation in relation to ingenious people, nations, colonial-dependent peoples, people who live under alien rule or in occupied territories. In the first two cases the UN defends peoples against all kind of discrimination policies (internal self-determination); in other cases the UN concedes the right to form an independent state (external self-determination).The essence and rules of application of the principles of equal right and self-determination with regard to peoples who live under alien domination or foreign occupation are identical to its application with regard to the colonially dependent peoples.  The primary form of its implementation is self-determination. The right to self-determination is linked to less contentious human rights such as the right to life, choice of residency etc. Thus the right to self-determination in the form of establishment of their own state is regarded by international community, as an indispensable condition for elimination of  the key human rights violation.The article asserts that in order to stabilize the present system of international relations the UN tends to reduce the number of situations when the application of the equal rights and peoples self-determination principle ensures the right to form an independent state. According to the author, nowadays the mechanism of self-determination of the colonial and dependent peoples has a historical rather than an operational significance, as classical colonialism is absent in the contemporary world. The mechanism of recognition of the people who live under alien domination or foreign occupation is not transparent and consistent. AU - Dmitry Malov UR - https://iorj.hse.ru/en/2013-8-2/88620011.html PY - 2013 SP - VL - 8