Scottish Referendum and International Law

As you will no doubt have seen in the news, Scotland is this week going to the polls to vote in a referendum on the question of independence. After over 300 years in the United Kingdom, the Scottish people may vote to secede and form an independent state. But what does international law have to say about this? What if the UK objected - would Scotland be free to secede then? What are the operative principles in play?

We will examine such questions in some detail in just a few weeks. But as this drama is unfolding this week, you may want to get a head-start on the issues! There is an "insta-symposium" beginning this week at Opinio Juris in which you can dive into the detailed legal issues.