Reddit reviews Understanding International Law

You can argue what you wish but international law is not open to dispute on this point. Non-aggression is the most fundamental international norm. It is embodied in the UN Charter which has a Universal character, meaning that no other treaty or law or norm can violate the UN Charter. Even countries that had not ratified the Charter are bound by it as Customary lnternational law

>the deeply invested norm of non-aggression applies to every state

p.68

Understanding International Law
By Conway W. Henderson
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-International-Law-Conway-Henderson-ebook/dp/B007VJULM0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494355945&


And yes I know the difference between law and norm. The prohibition of aggression is not just law, not just a conventional norm, not just a customary norm but also a preemptory norm and as such as recognized in articles 53 and 64 of the Vienana Convention 1969 such norms are of such a fundamental character, such that no derogation from it is allowed even by treaty. The prohibition of torture is also a preemptory norm of interenational law from which no derogation is allowed http://www.ejil.org/pdfs/15/1/349.pdf

The same goes for for example, the prohibition of genocide, which the US did by backing Saddam as he was massacring Kurds.

These things are absolutely prohibited, everywhere, all the time, regardless of any other circumstances