56. Bestowal, refusal, or withdrawal of nationality in contravention of international obligations must not be condoned. The illegality on the international level, however, is generally irrelevant for the purposes of Article 1(1). The alternative would mean that an individual who has been stripped of his or her nationality in a manner inconsistent with international law would nevertheless be considered a “national” for the purposes of Article 1(1); a situation at variance with the object and purpose of the 1954 Convention.40 40 The exception to the general approach may be situations where the breach of international law amounts to a violation of a peremptory norm of international law. In such circumstances, States may be under an obligation not to recognise situations flowing from that violation as legal. This may involve non-recognition of the nationality status including, perhaps, how this status is treated in an Article 1(1) determination. The exact scope of this obligation under customary international law remains a matter of debate. 53 - 56 PART ONE Prohibitions in terms of customary international law are not so clear, though one example would be deprivation on the grounds of race. 23