The Justification of War and International Order

A good book makes you rethink. It alerts you to things you didn't know. This is what Justification definitely does ... The chapters are so rich and varied that any reader is bound to find new stories, new theorizations, new problems. * Wouter Werner, Voelkerrechtsblog *
Various chapters lend voice to postcolonial critiques, and some push the boundaries of TWAIL to go beyond treating the colonised as mere detrimental recipients of the European justifications of war. * Parvathi Menon, Voelkerrechtsblog *
There is much to say about the many ways in which Schmitt's enormously influential narrative is historically erroneous, and this volume contributes an important element to its takedown. * Claire Vergerio, Voelkerrechtsblog *
[A] must-read for anyone interested in the history of war as a social phenomenon. * Mathias Albert, International Affairs *
In this landmark volume, leading scholars from different fields explore the historical connections between justifications of war and the constitution of international order. The result is a rich and coherent account of how such justifications have enabled and constrained the use of force across different historical contexts while drawing on and reproducing wider normative orders in the process. Given its theoretical sophistication and vast historical scope, this volume is a major contribution not only to the history of international legal theory and practice, but to the study of international thought in general. * Jens Bartelson, Professor of Political Science, Lund University *
Although the justification of war has been a core concern in political and legal discourse about international order since Antiquity, it is only in recent years that it has become a major object of study across the board of relevant historiographies. By assembling the work of a crack team of legal, diplomatic and political thought historians, this volume makes a significant contribution towards organizing a dialogue of disciplines around this key theme of international history. * Randall Lesaffer, KU Leuven and Tilburg University *
This collection arrives during radical, global re-thinking. Just as structures of inequality, violence, and environmental destruction are being shaken, the authors expose a falsehood that has helped lead to these harms. Humanity has never accepted a free right to resort to war. Sophisticated law to prohibit armed conflict did not spring up in the mid-20th century. With this and other errors exposed, the book moves us toward renewal of the law of peace we so urgently need. * Mary Ellen O'Connell, Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law and Research Professor of International Dispute Resolution-Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame (USA) *