International Law, Security and Ethics: Policy Challenges in the post-9/11 World

This volume explores the nexus of the issues of international law and ethics in the context of the 'War on Terror', and the misalignment of contemporary security demands with existing law.Since the end of the Cold War, the nature of security challenges has changed radically, as has been recognised by the UN, governments and academics around the world. The 911 attacks and the subsequent launch of the 'war on terror' added a new dimension to this debate on the nature and utility of international law due to the demands from some quarters for a change in the laws governing self-defence. This constituted a merging of issues that had arisen in debates on humanitarian intervention and UN enforcement action in the 1990s, with pressure for a new understanding of self-defence, which challenged the relevance of existing instruments and interpretations of international law. It was clear that existing law was often ill fitted to the new era. The imperatives of action were entwined with two sets contexts of wrong and right ' ethics and law, with each corner of this triangle influencing the other in debate and decision.This volume focuses on the different ways in which the laws governing the use of force and the conduct of warfare ' in terms of both self-defence and humanitarian intervention ' have therefore become subject to intense scrutiny and contestation, with many sources of division remaining unresolved in the sphere of contemporary security. It analyses the nature of these debates and focuses on key issues that have led to the unprecedented contemporary questioning of both the utility and composition of international law on the use of force as well as the practicability of using force, including handling of 'prisoners' and 'security risks'. It also identifies the sources of division and addresses the capacities of security policy and international law to adapt to the changed international environment.This book will of much interest to students of international law, war and conflict studies, and IR/Security Studies in general.