The Law Against War

A long waited new edition on this seminal, meticulous study of the law relating to the use of force, updated to comment on the Arab Spring, Islamic State, and conflicts in Yemen and the Ukraine.

Praise for previous edition:
“...a comprehensive, meticulously-researched study of contemporary international law governing the use of armed force in international relations…’
Andrew Garwood-Gowers, Queensland University of Technology Law Review, Volume 12(2)

When this first English language edition of The Law Against War published it quickly established itself as a classic. Detailed, analytically rigorous and comprehensive, it provided an indispensable guide to the legal framework regulating the use of force.

Now a decade on the much anticipated new edition brings the work up to date. It looks at new precedents arising from the Arab Spring; the struggle against the "Islamic State" in Iraq and Syria; and the conflicts in Ukraine and Yemen. It also reflects the new doctrinal debates surrounding recent state practice. Previous positions are reconsidered and in some cases revised, notably the question of consensual intervention and the very definition of force, particularly, to accommodate targeted extrajudicial executions and cyber-operations. Finally, the new edition provides detailed coverage of the concept of self-defense, reflecting recent interpretations of the International Court of Justice and the ongoing controversies surrounding its definition and interpretation.