Diplomatic incident
An international incident (engl. Internationally incident is) an apparently relatively small or limited operation or dispute of a major conflict between two or more national states leads. Diplomatic incidents can result from unexpected acts in connection with nationals, state officials or armed units of one or more nation states or from deliberate but minor provocations by secret agents of one nation state or by terrorists against another nation state.
definition
A diplomatic incident usually arises during a period of relative peace between nation-states and is generally - on the surface - an unexpected event. Conflicts arising from escalating skirmishes between nation states are not considered diplomatic incidents; however, this is often the case with terrorist acts. However, the historical consideration of past diplomatic incidents shows that the incident often represented the boiling point of a simmering conflict between nation states or organizations hostile to them.
Wars were often provoked by diplomatic incidents, and diplomatic efforts then could not always prevent the development of an armed conflict.
The International Court of Justice maintains a list of legal disputes between nation states, many of which arose from diplomatic incidents.
Examples
18./19. century
- Schnäbele affair
- XYZ affair
- Caroline / McLeod affair , which was to have a major impact on the development of international jurisprudence
- Trent affair
20th century
- Assassination attempt in Sarajevo
- Zimmermann dispatch
- Panay incident
- Tonkin incident
- Satanique
- Korean Airlines Flight 007
- Lockerbie stop
21st century
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sherry Holetzky: What is an international incident