United Nations action -- Security Council authorization -- Expanding reach of the Security Council -- Implied authorization and intentional ambiguity -- Self-defence -- 'Inherent right' of self-defence -- Self-defence against terrorism -- Pre-emptive self-defence -- Humanitarian intervention -- Pro-democratic intervention -- Unilateral humanitarian intervention -- Responsibility to protect -- International law during armed conflict -- Protection of civilians -- Protection of combatants and prisoners of war -- War crimes courts and tribunals -- Epilogue : war law and the single superpower -- Charter of the United Nations, 1945. Pt. 1. 1. 2. 3. Pt. 2. 4. 5. 6. Pt. 3. 7. 8. 9. Pt. 4. 10. 11. 12. App.
"The international rules governing the use of military force are under unprecedented scrutiny, following the removal of Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein in wars that were not sanctioned by the UN. Michael Byers's book addresses five broad issues: UN Security Council authorization, self-defence against terrorism, pre-emptive war, humanitarian and pro-democratic intervention, and the protection of civilians and combatants during armed conflict." "The issues are examined through a series of case studies, ranging from the 1837 Caroline Incident to the mistreatment of detainees by US forces at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. Particular attention is devoted to the legal controversies that surrounded the 1999 and 2001 interventions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and the 2003 war in Iraq. Byers traces the development of international humanitarian law from the 1859 Battle of Solferino to the present, including the protections owed to prisoners of war and the role of war crimes tribunals and the International Criminal Court. He also considers the unique influence of the United States in the ongoing evolution and application of this highly contentious area of international law."--BOOK JACKET.