[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 430 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 430

 Expressing the sense of Congress that the policy (popularly known as 
   the ``Stimson Doctrine'') of the United States of not recognizing 
   territorial changes effected by force, should continue to be the 
  guiding foreign policy of the United States in diplomatic discourse.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2008

Mr. Hastings of Florida submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress that the policy (popularly known as 
   the ``Stimson Doctrine'') of the United States of not recognizing 
   territorial changes effected by force, should continue to be the 
  guiding foreign policy of the United States in diplomatic discourse.

Whereas the former Secretary of State, Henry Stimson, declared in 1932 that the 
        United States would not recognize territorial changes effected by force 
        following the seizure of Manchuria by Japan;
Whereas this doctrine of non-recognition became known as the Stimson Doctrine;
Whereas the United States properly applied the doctrine of non-recognition in 
        1940 to the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and every 
        Presidential administration of the United States honored this doctrine 
        until independence was restored to those countries in 1991;
Whereas article 2, paragraph 4 of the Charter of the United Nations demonstrates 
        a wider application of the Stimson Doctrine, stating that ``All Members 
        shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of 
        force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any 
        State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the 
        United Nations.'';
Whereas principle III of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 states that ``The 
        participating States regard as inviolable all one another's frontiers as 
        well as the frontiers of all States in Europe and therefore they will 
        refrain now and in the future from assaulting these frontiers.'';
Whereas principle IV of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 states that ``The 
        participating States will respect the territorial integrity of each of 
        the participating States. Accordingly, they will refrain from any action 
        inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the 
        United Nations against the territorial integrity, political independence 
        or the unity of any participating State, and in particular from any such 
        action constituting a threat or use of force.''; and
Whereas the principles of inviolability of borders and territorial integrity in 
        the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations serve 
        to preserve political stability among countries while still protecting 
        the legitimate aspirations of the peoples of the world: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) reaffirms the continued validity and appropriateness of 
        the principles of inviolability of the borders and territorial 
        integrity of countries as a vital instrument of the foreign 
        policy of the United States (popularly known as the ``Stimson 
        Doctrine'');
            (2) calls upon the President to declare unequivocally that 
        the United States does not, and will not, recognize territorial 
        changes effected by force alone;
            (3) calls upon the countries of the world to strive to 
        preserve the principles of inviolability of borders and 
        territorial integrity as a means of preserving political 
        stability among countries while still protecting the legitimate 
        aspirations of the peoples of the world;
            (4) condemns the violation of the principle of territorial 
        integrity that occurred during August and September of 2008, as 
        a result of Russia's armed incursion into the sovereign country 
        of Georgia; and
            (5) urges Russia to withdraw its recognition of South 
        Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent countries and to refrain 
        from acts and policies that undermine the principle of 
        inviolability of borders and territorial integrity.
                                 <all>