Standard of civilisation

The standard of civilisation is a principle of international law which is a criterion for a region to be respected as sovereign.

It was used by European powers following the Age of Discovery when they traded with, exploited and colonised the lands outside Europe. Countries which had non-European civilisations would be considered semi-civilised while primitive areas would be considered uncivilised. The laws of such areas would not be respected and their people, property and territory might be seized, conquered or colonised. ^{[1] [2]}

At the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, the nations of South America did not include the standard of civilisation in their criteria for recognition as a state. They had fought to secure their independence from European empires and so naturally did not acknowledge European superiority. ^[3]

In the modern era, some regions may still be considered too uncivilised to be respected, being characterised as failed states, rogue states or pariahs. ^{[4] [5]}

1. Anderson, Perry (2023-10-12), "The Standard of Civilization", New Left Review (143): 5–29
2. Linklater, Andrew (2016-06-30), "The 'Standard of Civilization' in World Politics", Human Figurations, 5 (2), ISSN   2166-6644
3. Lorca, Arnulf Becker (2015-01-01), Mestizo International Law: A Global Intellectual History 1842–1933, Cambridge University Press, p. 307, ISBN   978-1-316-19405-8
4. Antony T. Anghie (20 March 2017), The Standard of Civilization
5. David P. Fidler (2001), The Return of the Standard of Civilization, Indiana University