What did the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 say about war as national policy?

The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 was a multilateral agreement in which the signatory nations formally renounced war as an instrument of national policy. By signing the pact, these nations committed to settling all international disputes exclusively through peaceful means.12

This agreement represented a significant attempt to restrict the traditional exercise of sovereignty, which had historically allowed states to use force to impose their will on others. However, the pact’s effectiveness was severely undermined by several factors:2

• Broad Qualifications: Signatories included various interpretations that exempted actions such as wars of self-defense, as well as military obligations related to the League of Nations, the Monroe Doctrine, and existing alliances.1
• Lack of Enforcement: The treaty failed to establish any mechanism to enforce its provisions, rendering it largely ineffective in preventing conflict.1

Ultimately, while the pact signaled a shift toward limiting the absolute power of states in international law, it did not succeed in eliminating war as a tool of statecraft.12