Now, by examining the Crimean crisis under the international law magnifying glass, two conclusions appear to be quite straightforward. First, the referendum by which the Crimean people expressed their intention to join Russia should be broadly recognised and accepted. Second, the unauthorised Russian troops presence in Crimea actually violated the “domestic sovereignty” norm since it started before the referendum that was held on the 16 of March.
Therefore, the combination of sanctions adopted by the EU and the United States against Russia are “retrospectively” legitimate and justified when related to the presence of Russian military units in Crimea but illegitimate and unjustified if related to the referendum and to the annexation process.
Although the international law norms seem to be pretty clear, the “real game” is always more complicated than that and inevitably ruled by political and economic interests.
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