The study of risk and criteria of decision‑making in the conditions of risk is a relevant and multi‑disciplinary direction of scientific research within the framework of modern scientific rationality. The notion of risk has been fixed in various spheres of human practices, including such institutes of social regulation as law. The presence and consideration of risks, reasonability of risk, activity in risky conditions are traditional problems for constitutional, civil, criminal, court, medical, military and other branches of law. However, the category of risk has been unjustly little conceptualized phenomena for international law despite the fact that the meaning of this term is fairly great for international relations and for resolution of conflict situations. The research object of the present article is the category of risk and the criteria of risk assessment in international law. The subject of the research is the disclosure of the conceptual aspects of functioning and using of risk category in creation, introduction and application of international law as well as in identification of directions of international‑legal politics of states (communities, unions of states). The research conceptualizes the understanding of risk as international‑legal category, the notion of risk, its substantive characteristics, major functions, reasons and conditions of emergence of risk are revealed. The paper establishes the original way of cognition of complex issues of international law application with the variety of its branches in their system interaction with international‑legal politics and real application in conflict social situations. It is highlighted that both social‑political and armed conflict serves as criterial asset which allows to assess the durability, sustainability of international‑legal norms and their ability to regulate the relations which form their subject. Such approach allows to assess how the mechanisms of decision‑making function in international relations.
Ivan V. Kholikov (Wed,) studied this question.