Extraterritoriality as a Matter of Interpretation

Abstract

This chapter considers the standard view that extraterritoriality is a matter of treaty interpretation and that, following on from this, all that is required to discover the extraterritorial scope of human rights treaties is following the rules of interpretation set out in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. I argue that the extraterritorial scope of a treaty is a matter of treaty interpretation, but that it is not sufficient to follow rules in order to give meaning to international legal instruments. What determines the outcome of an interpretation is, in addition to these rules, a question of values. That is, what lies at the heart of interpretation is the determination of the values and principles that underlie a human rights treaty.