Quote Originally Posted by John T. Fishel View Post
The traditional IL on naval blockades is:
1. It is an act of war.
2. It is declared by one of the warring parties.
3. It is lawful as long as it can be enforced.
4. It can be enforced by whatever means are ncessary - traditionally, that was seizing a blockade runner, imprisoning its crew, and seizing its its cargo, or blowing it out of the water.
(1) and (2) cannot be true any more because the UN authorized/declared naval blockades that were no act of war, such as against Yugoslavia (arms only IIRC).
(3) makes no sense whatsoever, do you have a source to back it up?
(4) Maybe it can, but it's not allowed to use whatever means are necessary. See unrestricted sub warfare and certain forms of excessive violence against civilians.