by the US Secretary of State to the British authorities are accepted as an accurate description of the customary right of self-defence. (Dan Webster, Yale Law School) Imminent threat The imminent threat is a standard criterion in international law, developed by Daniel Webster as he litigated the Caroline affair, described as being "instant, overwhelming, and leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation." The criteria are used in the international law justification of preemptive self-defense: self-defense without being physically attacked first (see Caroline test). This concept has been used to mitigate the lack of definition provided by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, which states that sovereign nations may fend off an armed attack until the Security Council has adopted measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. The Caroline affair has been used to establish the principle of "anticipatory self-defense" and is also now invoked frequently in the course of the dispute around preemptive strike (or preemption doctrine). See also Casus belli Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter Collective security Jus ad bellum Just War Theory Laws of war Religious war Security-related bills Targeted killing Threat of force (public international law) Use of force in international law Domestic Law Issues related to Self-Defense Bodily harm and Grievous bodily harm Castle Doctrine in the United States Clear and present danger Duty to retreat Imminent lawless action References Sources Ben Fritz, "Sorting out the "imminent threat" debate,", spinsanity.org, November 3, 2003 Dan Darling, "Special Analysis: The Imminent Threat," windsofchange.net, September 4, 2003 Wolf Schäfer, "Learning From Recent History," Provost’s Lecture Series on Global Issues - The People Speak: America Debates its Role in the World, Stony Brook University, October 15, 2003 Michael Byers, "Jumping the Gun", London Review of Books, Vol. 24 No. 14, 25 July 2002, pp 3–5 Matthew Omolesky, "Special Report: Israel and International Law," The American Spectator, 7.18.06 The Caroline Case : Anticipatory Self-Defence in Contemporary International Law The Caroline Incident during the Patriot War Obituary of Neil MacGregor, one of the Upper Canada militiamen on the raid The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: The Webster-Ashburton Treaty and The Caroline Case Chapter 7, "British Steamer is Burned by Patriots" in Northern New York In The Patriot War, 1923, By L. N. Fuller The Caroline (Christopher Greenwood) in the context of international law - Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law