Defining Terrorism in International Law

Terrorism has never been defined in international law. This book examines the many failed attempts by the international community and the United Nations since the 1920s to define and criminalize terrorism, including heated debates about 'freedom fighters' and 'State terrorism'. It clearly explains why the international community should define and criminalize terrorism, how it should define it, and what it should exclude from the definition of terrorism. In doing so, it explores the difficult legal, ethical and philosophical questions involved in deciding when political violence is, or is not, permissible.

Dr Ben Saul BA(Hons) LLB(Hons) DPhil (Oxon) is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales (Sydney), Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, the Director of the Bill of Rights Project at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre for Public Law, and an Associate of the Australian Human Rights Centre. Previously, at the University of Oxford he completed his doctorate in law, tutored in international law, lectured at the Refugee Studies Centre, trained foreign diplomats in international law, and helped to coordinate the Oxford Public Interest Lawyers and the Oxford Public International Law Discussion Group. His co-authored books include Future Seekers: Refugees and the Law in Australia (Federation Press, Sydney, 2002) and In Search of Asylum: Refugees and Irregular Migration in Australia (Federation Press, Sydney, forthcoming 2006). He has published widely in international law journals and presented numerous lectures and seminar papers in Australia and internationally. Ben has been a legal expert for the UN Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, conducted human rights training of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal for UNHCR, monitored election violence in Sri Lanka for the International Commission of Jurists, assisted a member of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva. Ben has frequently appeared in Australian parliamentary inquiries into anti-terrorism and refugee legislation. Ben is a member of the International Law Association, the International Commission of Jurists, the European Society of International Law, the American Society of International Law, and the Australian-New Zealand Society of International Law.